This paper addresses the following issues concerning curriculum change in professional programs: (1) the degree of influence exhibited by external, internal, and intraorganizational factors as they interact to stimulate curriculum change in three professional programs (business, pharmacy, and accounting); (2) planning strategies used by faculty to…

Researchers have noticed a gap between mathematics practice in school and mathematics practice in out-of-school situations. This study compares the out-of-school practice involving measurement of on-the-job carpet layers with the problem-solving strategies of ninth-grade students while engaged in measurement problems from the typical mathematics…

This study investigated the adult adjustment of randomly selected students with learning disabilities in the classes of 1984 and 1985, 1 and 3 years after they exited Iowa high schools. A total of 939 students were interviewed 1 year out of high school, of which 784 were also interviewed 3 years out of school. Results are reported in terms of: (1)…

The National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) of Special Education Students provides ongoing information to the special education community regarding the transition of youth with disabilities from secondary school to early adulthood. The sample for the study began with a 1987 survey (Wave 1) involving more than 8,000 youth from the national…

This study investigated the role of subject matter expertise on the pedagogical content knowledge of physical education teachers. Data were collected through multiple interviews on 10 teachers with expertise in at least one physical education subject area. Each teacher was interviewed four times, with each interview lasting approximately 1 hour.…

This study examined the loss of proficiency in English as a Second Language (ESL) by Japanese children returning to Japan after a period of time in the United States. Three children who lived in the United States with their families for between 4 and 7 years were interviewed on a monthly basis after their return to Japan. The interviewer engaged…

An interview measure of social-cognitive skills that have been found to discriminate aggressive and nonaggressive children was developed. The interview was administered to 25 second and third grade children identified by teachers as nonaggressive and 50 second and third grade children identified by teachers as aggressive and referred to an…

An Austrian elementary teacher in a Tyrolean mountain village, who spent a year in the United States learning about the education system, provides her viewpoint on Austrian education in an interview. The teacher discusses the Austrian tracking system as a principal means of achieving educational quality. She believes that as long as the Austrian…

The Calculators in Primary Mathematics Project was a long-term investigation into the effects of the introduction of calculators on the learning and teaching of primary mathematics. The Australian project commenced with children who were in kindergarten and grade 1 in 1990, moving up through the schools to grade 4 level by 1993. Children were…

A Wisconsin study examined the perceptions of participants in a state-mandated mentoring program for beginning teachers. A researcher obtained names and addresses of beginning teachers, counselors, and librarians as well as personnel serving as mentors to beginners. A total of 14 mentors and 15 beginning teachers, counselors, and librarians agreed…

A research plan for investigating the effects of student portfolios on teaching and learning at three different school sites is described. The plan accommodates two categories of research questions: (1) broad, cross-site questions; and (2) site-specific questions generated by participants at each individual site. Data collection strategies…

The study described in this paper includes original qualitative research and analysis that addresses: how future secondary teachers are educated; perspectives from veteran and student teachers; insights into preparing teachers for the schools of our future; and suggestions for incorporating the voices of teachers and of those learning to teach…

The roles of assessment and testing within public employment and training programs supported by the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982 (JTPA) were examined through a review of the literature and two surveys of the JTPA system. In 1987, the Center for Remediation Design and the Center for Human Resources (CHS) at Brandeis University in Waltham…

The efficacy of an early mathematics program aimed at developing number sense and built entirely on children's invented procedures and on their informally acquired quantitative knowledge was studied. To socialize children to think of themselves as reasoners about numbers, the classroom program routinely provided daily conversation about numbers…

The goal of this study was to understand the role that external testing plays in elementary schools. Focus was on uncovering teachers' beliefs about testing and preparing students to take tests, how these beliefs and values are organized, and what implications they might have on practice. To accomplish this, the day-to-day life in classrooms and…