English is a compulsory course for students in China from primary education to postgraduate education. Recently more and more policymakers at Chinese universities have been forcing English education to be performed using a one-way English immersion approach. In their views, the more English practices in English classes, the better the learners'…

As the postscript for this special issue of Education and Urban Society, this article considers the struggles urban schools report confronting as they implement standards-based reform and high stakes testing and discusses the implications these challenge have for future accountability policy aimed at promoting educational equity. Among the issues…

Describes levels of thinking in geometry defined by Pierre van Hiele and Dina van Hiele-Geldof and discusses recent research on geometry learning levels among sixth and ninth graders. (GC)

After reviewing several assumptions that support the future ubiquitousness of computers in society and in scholarly research, summarizes three interrelated frameworks for developing instructional computing. (GC)

The achievement gap persists within U.S. classrooms. Although teachers do make a difference in terms of what and how much students achieve, educational practitioners and policy makers would be well served to consider social inequities created by demographic realities, instructional practices that engender broad student participation, and…

A general overview of desirable teacher characteristics includes: the use of individual teaching strategies, especially those that promote critical thinking skills; the ability to develop individualized and cooperative curricula; extensive subject-matter knowledge; and the ability to view and handle the dynamics of a classroom. (Author)

Classroom research must examine how authority is expressed. However, its expression cannot be conceived of solely as a property of the teacher: Many aspects of the exercise of authority are a function of the classroom instructional organization. These effects must be fully detailed. (Author)

Examined a staff-development program in a large urban California school district that exposed participants to African-American culture and features of African-American English. Preliminary findings for 32 teachers show that they easily incorporate display, ritual, and situated enactment into their teaching but have not made many other…

Many elementary and junior high school students do not become proficient with common and decimal fractions because they have established few connections between the form they learn in the classroom and understandings they already have. (Author/GC)

Discusses the power that local school districts and schools exert over the eventual success or failure of state government initiatives. Analyzes three major hurdles that reform efforts must surmount at the district and school levels: affecting classroom instruction; eliciting a commitment of local resources; and becoming integrated into other…

Examines the issue of teacher preparation in light of changing demographics directly related to increased immigration, describing the current context in which many new teachers will find themselves, reviewing the teacher education literature to ascertain how the profession conceptualizes immigrant children and the education of those who will teach…

Reviews efforts to develop national content standards for teaching English. Today's standards movements are distinguished from earlier efforts in that the learner is recognized as active, the meaning is socially and historically contingent, and the purpose is the development of language for political power and the creation and appreciation of…