Small-group discussions in which teachers and students interact with text are common in language arts classrooms. As documented in the extant literature, teacher discourse moves affect how the discussion unfolds and the resulting quality of the talk. What is not present in the literature is a unified lexicon or taxonomy for defining and…

Identifies the construct of teacher efficacy--the extent to which teachers believe they can affect student learning--and describes how it influences classroom behavior. The following major variables are considered in terms of development and enhancement of teacher efficacy: teacher education and socialization, personal teacher variables, school…

Reviews research in the areas of classroom organization and management, delineating the principles underlying a comprehensive approach to these areas. (MP)

Research on teachers' judgments, instructional planning, and decision making during classroom interaction is reviewed. (MP)

Reviews research studies which deal with the relationship between the time students spend engaged in learning and their subsequent achievement performance, and examines the emerging implications of these studies for the classroom teacher. (MP)

Presents a variety of strategies that may be used to improve a handicapped learner's social interactions with nonhandicapped classmates. Sociometric grouping, cooperation v competition, students' active participation and involvement, rewarding students' social interaction, coaching, and peer tutoring are discussed. (Author/RH)

Summarizes aspects of theory and research on ego development that suggest guiding principles for dealing with the common behaviors of preadolescent children. (Author/MP)

Reviews and discusses research findings on teaching effectiveness in the field of early childhood education. (MP)

Suggests that children enter school with a great deal of informal intuitive knowledge of mathematics that can serve as the basis for developing much of the formal mathematics of the primary school curriculum. Describes a research-based model of children's thinking that teachers can use to interpret, transform, and reframe their informal or…

Examines how what is known about academic help seeking can inform an understanding of children's response to peer harassment. Details: (1) What is adaptive help seeking?; (2) Which students are most likely to seek help?; and (3) Under what conditions are students likely to seek help? Presents directions for future research. (Author)

Compares two learning strategies, cooperative learning and mastery learning, and indicates ways in which the two are natural complements to each other. Discusses four premises shared by the approaches and considers ways in which each approach helps solve implementation problems associated with the other. Research on the combined implementation of…

Describes the objectives of teacher leadership, discussing related initiatives and literature. Suggests that leadership is an organizational phenomenon that can be understood only in the context of the structural, social, political, and cultural dimensions of school organizations. Presents an overview of this special issue, describing the authors…

Discusses challenges to traditional views of school leadership posed by many school reform initiatives, curriculum innovations, and teacher incentive plans. Examines teacher leadership structures in light of the purposes and goals they seek to advance. Uses nonhierarhical theories of leadership from the general leadership literature to examine…

Provides an overview of issues and practice associated with the integration of handicapped students into regular education settings. Emphasizes the differences between mainstreaming and federally mandated provision of educational services in the "least restrictive environment." Discusses the changing roles of elementary school teachers…

Discusses the growing legal, philosophical, and empirical support for allowing students with severe handicaps to attend regular classes with peers of the same age. Presents advantages of integration for students with and without handicaps. Resources for bringing about integration are described. (GLR)