Describes and analyzes the search conference--a participatory planning methodology--by exploring its roots in direct realism and characterizing it as a theory-building activity. Develops a classification matrix based on the nature of the task (problem solving or futures creative) and type of system (organizations, communities, ecologies,…

Serving as a vehicle for raising the profile of and thereby gaining recognition for the important research and development work being conducted in Canada in support of children and families, the "Research Connections Canada" series compiles research and/or development papers as well as background papers, analytical literature reviews,…

For one professional teacher of writing, language is one of many locations in which political struggles exist, and the classroom is a site from which he and his students can actively examine culture, developing strategies of language use that can facilitate social change. Critical and feminist pedagogies are two closely related ways of teaching…

The students of the targeted sixth grade class exhibited low standardized test scores in reading. Despite many efforts, this problem reached a crisis point in the fall of 2001, when the school as a whole placed at the bottom of the district on the state standards test, which was taken by this group of students in the spring of their fifth-grade…

This report describes a program for increasing student motivation in reading through the use of multiple intelligences. The targeted population consisted of one first grade and two fourth grade classrooms located in two western suburbs of a major metropolitan city. The problem of low student motivation is documented through low performance on…

This report describes a program for introducing students to strategies for improving their comprehension of non-fiction materials. The targeted population consisted of students of one third grade class in a small, middle class suburb, northwest of a large, midwestern city. Difficulty reading and comprehending non-fiction material was documented…

This study describes a program designed to increase student academic performance through the use of reading strategies. The targeted population consists of third and fourth grade students in three separate communities located in northern Illinois. All three communities are part of one major metropolitan area, and the status of family income ranges…

This report describes a program for using explicit instruction of reading strategies through the implementation of guided reading groups to improve student comprehension. The targeted population consisted of elementary school students in growing, middle class communities, located in northern Illinois. Evidence for the existence of a deficiency of…

Many school districts lack in-place processes for planning and evaluating their programs. In addition, most practicing educators do not have much time to design and carry out program evaluations. This handbook provides a practical guide to program evaluation drawn from action-research principles. The book uses effective, low-cost practices that…

Neurological research indicates that children's experiences, both inside and outside of school, significantly influence brain development. But little is known about children's out-of-school activities and the influence such activities may have on academic achievement. To better understand this relationship, the extra-school activities of 75…

To help teachers in urban schools implement technology in their science instruction, two science educators analyzed a number of models for technology training. This paper explores answers to the question of how to design technology sessions so that they are highly valuable professional development experiences for teachers. The models for these…

An action research framework is used to learn what cooperative learning activities mean to students in a physical chemistry course, to discover how the activities can be improved, and to learn how students' perception of cooperative learning changes. Through an analysis of field notes and a student questionnaire, two findings emerged which…

This document discusses an action research project undertaken to decrease inappropriate social behavior that was found to impede normal school day functions during the Freshman Seminar program. The targeted population consisted of ninth grade students in a suburb of a midwestern metropolitan area. A student survey was used to document incidents of…

This report describes a literacy program that provides readers with materials and instructions that fit their individual levels of development. The targeted population consists of kindergarten students in a northwest suburb that is characterized by higher than average household earnings, highly educated residents, and a population encompassing all…

An action research project developed a program for increasing student engagement in social studies. The targeted population consisted of fourth-grade students in a Midwestern suburban community. The problem of limited engagement was documented by interviews with third and fourth grade teachers, entries in the teacher's journal, and a series of…