Through an imaginary dialogue with her grandmother, a first-grade teacher reflects on the educational methods which her grandmother used and referred to in her journals and discusses the whole language methods used in schools today. A whole language classroom is described as a busy place where activity abounds and conversations buzz. Whole…

This paper presents a synthesis of the research on positive behavioral support (PBS) for students with challenging behaviors. PBS is a long-term approach to reducing the inappropriate behavior, teaching a more appropriate behavior, and providing the contextual supports necessary for successful outcomes. It notes that the 1997 amendments to the…

Seven papers focus on the relationship between research on effective instruction and teacher evaluation (TE). The first two articles depart from previous articles by M. Scriven; the others reflect new research. Topics include using rating scales in TE, improving instruction, at-risk and expert teachers, and supervisor critiquing. (SLD)