A study was conducted to determine the psychometric properties and the subscales of a 67-item Assessment Practices Inventory (API) and to examine the effects of measurement training and teaching experience on teachers' perceived assessment competency. Data were collected from 311 teachers on the API. The reliability of the API was supported by a…

This information brief explains the State of Minnesota statutory provisions that affect the employment rights of K-12 public school teachers in Minnesota. It describes the required probationary period, the conditions of continuing employment for those teachers who successfully complete the probationary period, and the procedures that must be…

This book provides stories to generate ideas on how to put students at the center of curriculum and how to create a classroom environment that is not based on a "win lest you lose" mentality. This focus is on an inclusive curriculum for all races, ethnic groups, both sexes and all "other" groups. These stories are true, but all student and parent…

School restructuring is dependent upon teacher professionalism, and teacher professionalism necessitates the development of collegial behaviors. This paper briefly describes an ongoing study of collegiality in an elementary collegial teacher preparation program. Subjects were student teachers who were paired for a two-semester student teaching…

At the turn of the century, over 200,000 one-room schools existed in the United States. These simple, vernacular buildings represented the nation's commitment to education and were also the center of community life. The country school continues to be a powerful cultural symbol. This book consists of three parts. The first section describes country…

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship of the first two aerospace education workshops conducted by the United States Space Foundation and sponsored by the Univesity of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and the United States Air Force Academy to attitudes and practices of workshop participants regarding aerospace education. To…

This study investigates the differences between competent and novice teachers' knowledge of teaching physical education. Participants were teachers (N=5) with five or more years of teaching experience, and novices (N=5), student teachers within a year of graduation with no prior public school teaching experience. Data were gathered through…

This research, part of a larger study that explores how a guided case writing experience supports a teacher's professional growth, examines the tensions that occurred as one teacher's case became a less personal and more public document. The study sought to discover precisely what processes and experiences contributed to the profound impact that…

In recent years, collaboration has become a powerful tool in the writing classroom and in how teachers teach students to write, but there has been little research on how to enact collaborative techniques to help train teachers how to teach. An experiment was conducted in which potential secondary teachers collaboratively taught an introductory…

Based on interviews with teachers, department chairs, principals, and staff developers, observations of hundreds of lessons, and a perusal of the social studies research literature and the broader school change literature, dominant barriers to the promotion of thinking were identified. Six barriers emerged: instruction as knowledge transmission, a…

This book analyzes a collection of 147 stories from more than 50 teachers about memorable moments in their teaching careers. Recurrent themes from these stories, depicting the interactive nature of teaching, the teaching-learning process, and the rewards of teaching, are categorized. Because the work of teachers is generally devalued and…

As in urban schools, at-risk students in rural schools may be unmotivated, lack purpose for learning, have special learning problems, or come from dysfunctional families. In this paper, an experienced teacher in a small rural Oklahoma high school describes her efforts to demonstrate that at-risk students would improve in all language areas as a…

This paper provides a synthesis of literature pertaining to differentials in earnings between male and female teachers at the elementary, secondary, and higher levels of education. In addition to sex discrimination, other factors of unequal compensation are examined, some of which include teaching experience, educational preparation, teacher…

A descriptive study compared lesson plans from three groups of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers: experienced teacher; graduate students who had taught ESL before returning to school; and graduate students with no ESL teaching experience. The lesson plans were based on a textbook listening activity that included directions for listening…

A sample of 81 caregivers in 24 urban centers was observed in interactions with preschool children ages 3 to 5. Observation centered on the domains of positive and negative socioemotional inputs, language facilitation, concept promotion, and caregiving and cleaning up (of children and of environment). The teachers provided responses to questions…