The rapid emergence of the Internet is having an historic impact on literacy practices and on the very nature of literacy itself. Each article in this issue has articulated these changes. Each brings a unique and important perspective to its analysis. They illustrate that, today, literacy means many different things to many different people. This…

"Research in the Schools" publishes empirical studies focusing on the results of applied educational research, scholarly reviews of research, descriptions of technology applications and innovative teaching strategies, and other topics of interest to educational researchers. Issue number 1 contains these articles: (1) "Factors Associated with…

Attempted to link preservice teachers (college students) from educational institutions in Texas and Florida for exchanging ideas and activities in the classroom environment. Results for 18 preservice teachers suggest that this e-mail peer coaching made preservice teachers more aware of the challenges facing education professionals and resulted in…

Studied the pretest and posttest attitudes of teacher education students who were required to write a literature review with empirical references about the pros and cons of corporal punishment in the classroom. Results for 59 students in 2 treatment groups and 55 students in 2 control groups at southern universities (where previous research has…

Examined and categorized 203 teaching cases written by 8 groups of preservice teachers offering literacy-based arts lessons to elementary school students. Analysis revealed 11 major themes, 10 of which related to problematic issues. Only one theme highlighted the achievements and success of the preservice teachers as they recognized the increased…

Examined the reactions of students to an educational psychology course designed to be constructivist, situated, and socially mediated. Response of 34 graduate students to a questionnaire suggest that most students believed class activities were helpful to their understanding of course content and learning of new teaching strategies. (SLD)

Studied effects of a constructivist and interdisciplinary block of methods courses on the self-efficacy in mathematics of 73 preservice teachers. Significant differences were found between pretest and posttest results. Discusses implications for teacher education programs. (SLD)

Assessed the use and perceptions of techniques used to evaluate graduates of National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education accredited institutions through a survey completed by 107 deans/directors of education at such institutions. Findings identify the five most highly rated methods and show the use of mostly traditional, but some…

Components of effective teaching considered most essential and most difficult for beginning teachers were studied by asking 52 principals, 108 teachers, 16 college teachers, 93 pre-intern teachers, and 292 intern teachers. Differences in opinions among the groups and ways teacher education can address them are discussed. (SLD)

The influences of elementary school context were studied with 88 preservice teachers student teaching in 2 different university field programs. Data support the benefits of pluralistic school experiences for future teachers and suggest that contextual conditions unique to a particular school may influence preservice teachers' learning and…

Attitudes toward high-stakes testing and score enhancement strategies of 4 cohorts of preservice teachers (total n=268) were determined. Findings suggest that preservice teachers can make acceptable judgments about appropriateness for the extremes of score enhancement strategies but are less able to do so in the intermediate range of the continuum…

A qualitative inquiry describes the sociocultural aspects of an urban elementary school serving as the context for a reading/language arts early field experience and examines how the sociocultural factors of this school contribute to the professional development of the preservice teachers who work there and their three supervising teachers. (SLD)

Sixty-three preservice teachers were asked to respond to the idea of cheating while administering a standardized test to their students. Over half said they would cheat under certain conditions, such as benefit to the students or if the test was inappropriate. Cheating considered acceptable included giving hints, rewording items, and teaching to…

At the age of 91, Ralph W. Tyler reflects on his long and distinguished career as an educator and educational researcher in this interview. He comments on educational reforms, teacher education, the uses of educational assessment, and the purpose of education. (SLD)