In a survey of educational researchers, school and district administrators, and policymakers, 1,818 respondents rated educational practices and policies according to their influence on learning and assessability. Classroom practices, design and delivery of curriculum, and schoolwide practices were rated as more influential than federal, state, and…

This document was written by teachers and consultants who participated in a 3-year elementary school portfolio assessment project involving 13 school districts in Macomb County (Michigan). The goal of the Macomb Portfolio Project, initiated in 1990, was to develop portfolio assessment models through collaboration using the teacher-as-researcher…

Issues and elements of case study research are explored and illustrated with the example of a case study of a kindergarten in a suburb of Tokyo (Japan). Case study research is a type of qualitative research that concentrates on a single unit or entity, with boundaries established by the researcher. The case is an example drawn from a larger class,…

Television has the ability to present information in two sensory channels simultaneously. Well-constructed dual-channel messages have great power to facilitate remembering and understanding, but poorly constructed ones have the power to confuse. Researchers' descriptions of audio/video combinations were compared with those of audience members and…

This issue of "Biography Today" features 18 short biographies about artists in a format young readers can enjoy and understand. Each entry provides at least one picture of the individual profiled, and bold-faced rubrics lead the reader to information on birth, youth, early memories, education, first jobs, marriage and family, career highlights,…

From a Catholic school principal's viewpoint, this paper explains why principals' technology leadership is essential and offers pointers on how to provide it. Computers have much to offer for progressive, constructivist teachers desiring to increase students' responsibility for their own learning. A survey of principals in 54 elementary schools in…

The four papers in this document present commentaries by four members of the teacher education faculty of Eastern Michigan University on issues related to time and learning, in response to a visit by the National Education Commission on Time and Learning. Sarah Huyvaert notes the complexity and interrelatedness of issues related to time and…

To promote research conducted by faculty, Cuyahoga Community College (CCC), in Ohio, developed the Faculty as Researcher Initiative (FRI). The initial goals of the FRI were to recruit 15 to 18 faculty members from CCC's three campuses to form a research group, assist in the development of research ideas and strategies, and develop a system for…

Publication is at the heart of scholarship. Traditionally, print media has been the vehicle for communicating research results and scholarly thought. Recently, electronic journals have been increasing. This paper explores, from a scholarship perspective, the rationale for publishing electronic journals. It also examines why scholars publish; the…

The mission of the Wisconsin Research and Development Center, established at the University of Wisconsin in 1964, was to improve education by conducting basic and applied research and carrying out development ideas, and through dissemination and demonstration. This book presents an historical overview of the center's activities. Chapter 1 traces…

The purpose of this study was to develop methodologies to support experienced teachers in taking on the role of participant researchers and engaging in collaborative inquiry through action research projects about their teaching practices. Although the structures designed were not content-specific, the teachers in the study were using the LOGO…

A teacher looking back on an exciting and learning-packed year (in which she and her class participated in a research project on how students learn and think about literature) saw permanent change in herself and her students. The notions of "stances" and "scaffolding" forever changed the way the teacher planned her literature units. Watching and…

A study examined the basic patterns of oral discourse in five lower-track, high school English classrooms, and the purposes driving the activity from teachers' and students' perspectives. Five experienced literature teacher-researchers each studied one teacher as that teacher taught an instructional unit on literary text. Results showed that: (1)…

The roles of institutional researchers in the overall goal setting and monitoring process were studied in 1982. In addition, the use of databases and new technology (e.g., computer models and planning aids, information retrieval systems, and national databases) as support mechanisms for assessment of institutional performance, and the methods used…

A community-wide survey to examine needed changes in the Sacramento City Unified School District high school program was designed and implemented. Because of problems encountered in presenting a proposal, a major initial and ongoing objective was the education of administrators and board members in conducting a valid community survey. Underlying…