As poverty, dysfunctional families, and special needs continue to affect students, educators seek improved ways to start children in formal education. One such approach is to lower the teacher-to-pupil ratios, and recent research shows that this method positively influences pupil achievement. How the process works is not well understood. To fill…

Classroom interaction data from traditional and activity-based English classes of different sizes are compared in terms of opportunities for learners to interact meaningfully. Findings suggest that the nature of the teaching-learning activities and the teacher's role and attitude influence learner participation more than class size. (24…

Students, faculty, administration, and community members of three Iowa rural school districts were interviewed to identify educational issues in their communities. The results of the Iowa investigation are compared with the results of the Claremont Graduate School investigation published in "Voices from the inside: A report on schooling from…