Describes the development of an instrument designed to assess the language competence of second language learners by observing natural interactions in transitional bilingual classrooms. A pilot study that assessed the social language of 24 bilingual fifth-graders in a summer math program provided data for examining the instrument's reliability and…

Describes a study of sixth and seventh grade students that investigated the effects of cooperative group composition, student ability, and learning accountability on achievement, interaction, and instructional efficiency during computer-based instruction. Pretests and posttests are described, data analysis is explained, and recommendations for…

This study examined the relationship between creative teaching and elementary students' achievement gains. Forty-eight upper elementary school teachers' classroom instruction was observed and evaluated over the course of 8 different lessons throughout the year. For each teacher, during each lesson, both a creative teaching frequency score and a…

This qualitative study of school nurses describes what the nurses want to do for school children in foster care, what they are actually doing, and how the school organization affects the provision of care. The study looked at the nurses' practice through the lens of the Social Ecological Model of Health, identified interventions using the…

Professional Development Schools (PDS) have become a widely used vehicle for the educational and professional development of both preservice and in-service teachers. Three key stakeholders are generally identified in the research about PDS--preservice teachers, experienced teachers, and K-12 students. The purpose of this research was to examine…

The re-birth of South Africa in 1994 has brought the implementation of effective educational policies. Simultaneously, the Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) approach has been introduced to advance the teaching and learning of the Learning areas in schools in South Africa. This article focuses on the learning of English as a Second Language (ESL) in…

This year-long case study examines how a struggling reader in a sixth-grade social studies class, a seventh grade mathematics class, and an eighth grade science class "transacted" with the reading task demands of her specific classroom. Through regular classroom observations and interviews, the researcher documents how each student responded to…

This article tells the story of the author's discovery of thinking skills, how this has affected her teaching, and how these ideas have now spread to other curriculum areas in her school. In November 2001 the author began to carry out a research project on thinking skills, introducing new activities into lessons to encourage pupils to think and…

This paper discusses one aspect of the findings from an ethnographic study of the ways in which four-year-old children learn, and are taught, at home and in their Reception class. The children were from two distinctive cultural backgrounds within the same urban neighbourhood: one-half belonged to UK ("Anglo") families, and one-half to…

This report summarizes the Year 2 evaluation study results of the Students and Teachers Accessing Real-time Knowledge (STARK) Program in the West Orange Consolidated Independent School District (CSID). The overall purpose of the evaluation was twofold: (a) to provide formative evaluation data to the participant schools to serve as a basis for…

In a study investigating the effects of student engagement in inquiry learning through the development of Web sites, nearly every student reported having enjoyed the project, and the majority scored an A or B for their project grade. However, neither enjoyment nor high achievement on this performance task necessarily translated into high scores on…

The guide, entirely in French, is intended as a resource for regular elementary and early secondary school classroom teachers of reading to both native speakers of French and French immersion students in Canada. An introductory chapter describes the guide's organization, gives background information on its approach to reading instruction, links…

This paper explores the use of ethnographic biography as a source of information and reflection for student teachers. Ethnographic methods combine observation of a subject's teaching environment or context, examining the present rather than the past. Information can then be made available to student teachers in need of a personal viewpoint on…

This qualitative study determined the behaviors and strategies used by 12 high potential, middle school students when they did not feel challenged in school. Teacher reaction to these behaviors was also documented. Data analysis revealed that these students engaged in the following behaviors: (1) selective attention, (2) focused curricular…

This document provides narrative portraits of early adolescents in middle school and junior high school as described by preservice university students majoring in middle level education. The observations were made during a course titled "Middle School Programs and Practices," which develops the middle school concept across different…