Uses the methodology of critical hermeneutics to analyze Chief Executive Officers' letters to shareholders in the United States petroleum industry during the 1970s and 1980s. Suggests these letters were deployed to produce a certain attitude toward OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) among their readers that deflected attention of…

Questions the effectiveness of the widespread use of zero-tolerance policies enacted by school boards to punish students who violate weapon and drug rules. Suggests that enforcement of zero-tolerance policies has not been equitable. Reviews proposal for alternative to zero tolerance. (PKP)

Discusses some of the problems inherent in publishing school performance indicators (SPIs) and makes some recommendations for their publication and use. Considers the characteristics of public SPIs and the ways in which they are disseminated, and draws on the experience of the Netherlands in this area to suggest appropriate ways of publishing…

Presents the results of a study of differences in secondary school effectiveness among six regions (Lancashire, London, Jersey, Scotland, the Netherlands, and England as a whole). Findings define four dimensions of secondary school effectiveness: different outcomes, pupil groups, pupil cohorts, and curriculum stages. Draws implications for…

In this article, we review the findings of Rona Flippo's (1998) "Expert Study" within the comparative context of recently published reading research reports such as the National Reading Panel report (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000) and Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children (Snow, Burns, &…

This paper explores the role of systematic reviews of research literature and considers what they have to offer research in science education. The origins of systematic reviews are described, together with the reasons why they are currently attracting considerable attention in the research literature. An overview is presented of the key features…

The federal government has taken control of state education systems, and state leaders want them back, legislators around the country say. Through the No Child Left Behind Act, Congress and the U.S. Department of Education have forced state lawmakers to expand their testing systems, alter the ways they reward and punish schools, and spend their…

Studies generally undergo an evaluation process before they are accepted for publication in an academic journal, presented at a conference, or released by a think tank. This article discusses the release of unreviewed research that sparks debate over the need for tighter peer-review mechanisms. Researchers from two of the nation's most eminent…

Congress should pay for the development of a national teacher test, using performance to judge accomplishment, and the test results should be incorporated into state licensing requirements, a report released May 24 argues. Prepared by a panel of the National Academy of Education, the 112-page guide calls on federal and state policymakers to…

It is not enough to say merely that formative assessment is a measure of student achievement administered several times during the school year, whereas summative assessment is a measure of student achievement usually administered at the end of the year. That is only part of the answer, the true distinction between the two lies in their respective…

This chapter presents the development of European youth research as a distinctive field of study. It draws attention to the sociopolitical context in which the field has emerged, outlines the key dimensions of the field's agenda, reports on significant facets of theory and research development to date, and briefly considers the field's…

Matt Estes, a social studies teacher, mentions the main instructional goals for his students like understanding the importance of proper citation and attribution presenting the Machiavelli project that deals with the skills he wants his students to develop and the course material that must be covered. In addition, Ann Brady, a library media…

The attitudes among social workers toward labor unions are a topic of significance. Historically, social workers have had an ambivalent relationship with unions. This article analyzes the extent to which unions matter to social workers and whether unions represent the interests of professional social workers. The relationship between social work…

Longitudinal research produces more reliable evidence concerning causality by gathering data directly from participants, preintervention and postintervention, utilizing 1 or more follow-up studies at the conclusion. The process of surveying at different points in time ameliorates direction-of-effect problems. While there are considerable benefits…

Graduate and undergraduate students are typically required to become educated consumers of research. Yet, research courses generally focus on how to do research rather than how to evaluate it. Therefore, we propose ways in which faculty can help their students become better consumers of research by presenting a brief list of teaching objectives,…