This paper describes two researchers engagement with two teachers as they taught a middle grades mathematics course, Current Events Math, in a large urban school district. The researchers share bits of data and their ethical entanglements as they entered into the site to find the truth about what works in middle grades mathematics classrooms only…

The level of carbon dioxide in a classroom can have a significant negative effect on teaching and learning. Carbon dioxide (CO2) level is affected by class size and time of day. Six urban schools were studied to characterize the effects of these three factors on different class sizes. Carbon monoxide, CO2, temperature, and relative humidity…

The development of the between-class, within-class analysis has facilitated a more refined analysis of classroom processes and influences: those which affect a class as a whole, a student within a class, or an individual student independent of context. However, a problem arises in using a between-class, within-class analysis to infer a particular…

This discussion explores children's understanding of the nature of distributive justice in classrooms and provides an initial model for further research. The issue of distributive justice arises in a situation when an individual assesses the fairness of the distribution of any limited resource, such as the physical, instructional and social…

Competing explanations of class size reduction effects on student academic achievement were tested using student, teacher, and school data collected from nearly 700 classrooms in over 70 schools during the first 3 years of implementation of California's (K-3) Class Size Reduction Program. Five major hypotheses were tested: (1) overall impact of…

This paper describes a case study in which two teachers attempted to bring peace education to their classrooms. To date, the most prevalent approaches to peace education center on a curriculum or a program. The two teachers rejected such curricula and programs in favor of an approach that emphasized the importance of the environment in developing…

Argues that if schools are to be made more effective, educators must understand the interaction between their academic and socialization functions, as well as comprehend what happens in schools and the societal context in which schools are embedded. (MP)

An examination of problems inherent to class size concepts suggests possible arrangements, given limited resources, for providing optimal classroom environments. Among the problems in determining class size are ambiguous definitions, measurement problems, and contradictory research findings. Traditional definitions of class size ignore such…

Although humor and laughter are most often based in fundamental social interactions, this element of communication has received little attention. To examine the socially facilitating effects of communication and social acceptance by analyzing children's intrapersonal perceptions of communication apprehension, or shyness, 169 children, aged 8 to 13…

How feedback information based upon student perceptions might be employed as a basis for reflection upon, discussion of, and systematic attempts to improve classroom environments is described. The basic logic underlying the proposed approach involves: (1) using assessments of student perceptions of both their actual and preferred environment to…

A promising area in educational research is the application of techniques of literary criticism to curriculum theory. Kenneth Burke's dramatistic system clarifies the five sources of motives in the drama--purpose, agency, scene, agent, and act. This pentad creates a possibly fruitful model that highlights the drama of the classroom. Contrasting…

A total of 21 full-day structured classroom observations were conducted in six classes of the Austin Independent School District Bilingual Preschool Project (Texas) having a high incidence of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students. Each class consisted of 15 LEP students and 3 English-proficient students. It was anticipated that…

This study explored the relationship between classroom instructional processes and the average number of student absences in first and third grades. The data were collected in a total of 166 classrooms as part of the Follow Through Planned Variation Program. The Classroom Observation Instrument, developed by Stanford Research Institute, was used…

The potential uses of ethnography and aesthetic criticism as sources for developing a qualitative approach to evaluating classrooms are delineated. Such work involves three interrelated processes--description, interpretation, and appraisal--which are discussed and exemplified. When describing a classroom, the evaluator vividly renders it,…

One of the hottest literacy topics currently is "balanced literacy"--the centrist position of experts in the teaching and learning of literacy. Balanced literacy programs utilize both explicit skill instruction and authentic text. A study documented and discovered the enacted practices of an exemplary first grade teacher (with 24…