Outlines the character of the teaching profession and its main forms of organization since the 1970s in South Africa. Discusses teachers' work under apartheid, the challenges to apartheid controls from 1989-1994, and restructuring of teachers' work in the post-apartheid period. Examines teachers' responses, focusing on policies that impacted…

Suggests that students continue to regard teacher responses as directives that leave them few options in revisions. Finds that students generally look to their teachers to show them the "correct" way to write and resist the notion of making independent judgments about their writing and the necessary revisions, primarily because they could not…

Explores what was learned during the "Schools Speaking to Stakeholders" project about building the quality school in order to contribute to the dialogue about reform in Quebec schools. Discusses the views from the literature and of practitioners who participated in the project and the framework used for measuring school quality. (CMK)

Suggests and illustrates three areas for investigation: effects of error on teachers' processing of student writing; relationship between error and teacher's construction of the writer's persona; and the relationship between the changing status of socially constructed norms of language use and response to error. Advocates greater focus on…

Discusses the Gibbs Street Connection, a professional development program for music educators and a collaborative effort between the Eastman School of Music and the Rochester (New York) Philharmonic Orchestra. Highlights efforts to evaluate the Gibbs Street Connection and the benefits of the program. Offers tips for beginning such programs and…

Reports on a research project for which an American literature high school class was observed every day for a semester. Presents a framework for understanding teacher responses to student writing, consisting of five orientations toward that writing: interpretive, social, cognitive/emotive, evaluative, and pedagogical. (TB)

A social studies teacher observes that after 10 years, decision making will probably never be decentralized in Rochester (New York) schools. Contracts, precedents, school board policy, and state law place far too many restrictions on schools' creativity. Maybe hierarchical administrative decision making is best, so long as community members' input…

Discusses how to integrate young children's interests into classroom learning activities. Emphasizes the need for early childhood educators to be creative and open-minded when encountering unexpected interests and classroom situations. (KB)

Examines the transplanting of curricular and instructional practices from the United States to the state educational system of Queensland (Australia) from 1969 to 1981. Provides an overview of the involvement of curriculum workers and the contextual influences that impacted their work. Discusses the educators' reaction to the social studies…

Responds to the articles "Another Opportunity Lost?: Maybe Professional Development Experiences Aren't Supposed to Teach Teachers Anything about the New York State Social Studies Framework" by Sandra Mathison and "Misconstruing Constructivism and State Regulation of Teaching (Unlearning What We Know about Educational Reforms)"…

Investigates teachers' beliefs and attitudes on infant school classes in northern England. Reports on class size preferences and preferential treatment for some groups of children and teachers. Indicates that class size cannot be treated as unidimensional in its impact on the quality of teaching and learning. (CMK)

School boards are challenged to reconcile differences between test-dominated accountability and the growing backlash against standards and assessments. The answer: a comprehensive accountability system that does not ignore state demands for improved achievement as measured by test scores, but places them in context with classroom practices. (MLH)

Discusses and provides historical background on the Michigan state content standards intended to improve social studies education. Addresses the role of statewide assessment in educational reform and the challenges in assessment. Considers (1) teacher preparation to support the standards and assessment and (2) the focus upon higher order thinking…

Offers thoughts on mastering creative writing, and why a good teacher is essential to the process. Asserts that students must ultimately satisfy themselves and not their teachers, and that a pupil's innermost imagination must be nurtured and given free-rein. Makes emphatic the view that good teaching is one of the most unselfish activities that…

Describes the results from an implementation study that focused on the introduction of a technology course in Dutch junior secondary schools as part of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development project. Observes that almost no cooperation occurred between science and technology teachers and elaborates on these problems in detail.…