School improvement efforts often focus on students who perform below grade level. These improvement efforts typically focus on improving instruction, often through a framework and professional development. The question remains, how do students who are gifted and talented respond to this type of instruction? We observed 48 students in their…

For educational reform to succeed, the nature of teachers' jobs must be reconceptualized. A balance must be restored between art and technique in teaching. Includes references. (MD)

Making several changes in concert was one reason, this writer maintains, why an Ohio middle school made forward strides in providing successful innovative programs for its emerging adolescents. (Editor)

Talk in U.S. classrooms often reveals student ignorance, but it also involves interpersonal exchange. British students' spoken opinions may be undervalued, but they are better writers and interact more often with teachers. American students may not value writing as necessary. Listening to students' voices may help bridge cultural limitations. (MLH)

The author deals with instructional competence and training teachers in the basic teaching skills. He lists 13 general instructional components, which provide guidelines for determining the needs of teaching effectiveness, as well as providing a basis for evaluation. (DS)

Reports on nine issues that the National Society for the Study of Education agreed were crucial to education today and should be included in their yearbook on secondary education. Some of the conclusions of the yearbooks authors were also presented. (Editor/RK)

To realize NASSP's reform goals in "Breaking Ranks," educators must first personalize high schools. This means every student should have a personal adult advocate and a personal progress plan; teachers must teach to students' learning styles; and no school should be larger than 600 students. A 1996 national student survey underlines the…