Christopher Jencks is the Malcolm Wiener Professor of Social Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Here he comments that Downey and Condron (2016) (DC) argue that the sociology of education suffers from a one-sided view of schools' contribution to inequality. He agrees that most sociologists who study what goes on inside schools tend to portray…

Intended for principals, teachers, parents, and others, this research brief traces the historical development of the kindergarten in the United States, summarizes recent reviews of the kindergarten scheduling literature, and presents the findings of nearly 50 studies conducted to assess the relative effects of kindergarten scheduling on student…

Three alternative secondary education programs that emphasized individualized instruction and social support for students were found to be influential in reducing disruptive behavior and improving the academic performance of students who were about to be expelled or suspended from school. Social psychological processes that led to program…

Achievement gaps in standardized tests consist of the differences between test scores of students of color and those of white students and between scores of poor children and those of their wealthier peers. Maylone determines student testing behaviors, herein referred to as TestThink, which reflect differences in students' abilities to behave in…

Approaching corporal punishment of children in school as a human-rights issue, this paper explores the impact of the European Court of Human Rights on education policy in Europe and the implications it raises for school policy in the United States. Simply stated, the court holds that students have legal rights that schools are obligated to…

This discussion compares Japan and the United States in terms of: (1) perceptions of children and childhood; (2) parents and parenting; (3) the preschool system; and (4) the social structure of child care settings. It is asserted that the most profound difference between Japanese and American perceptions of children may be that in Japan the…

Brief analyses are provided of presentations made at a conference, held at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, which addressed questions and answers relating to research and education. Conference sessions explored the role of research in relation to educational practices with special focus on theory, research, issues and application.…