Why do good ideas created and promulgated by bright, dedicated people have no significant, lasting effects on teaching? The answer: reformers meddle in trained teachers' everyday practice--educating students. Few professions take kindly to laypersons forcing reforms in their practices. Any school-restructuring initiative must include teachers in…

Discusses the effectiveness of classroom trials as a method of providing feedback in the development process for educational software. The impact of formative evaluation on the development of computer-assisted learning (CAL) by a team is discussed, criteria for software selection are described, and steps toward successful implementation are…

In this interview, a high school art teacher explains why her initial enthusiasm for block scheduling evaporated. Problems arose with foreign-language instruction, science labs, lesson planning, field trips, space utilization, supplies, and overenrollment in elective subjects like music and art. Teachers had little control or administrative…

Cuban says schools reflect our society's fascination with fads, which increases their vulnerability to pressures from different constituencies. The most long-lasting innovations have avid supporters and equitable intent. Kindergarten and preschool education are prime examples. Policymakers' efforts to change classroom teaching practice usually…