While the effects of teacher expectations on learner performance have continued to be of interest to both classroom teachers and researchers, the findings of much of the research have been equivocal. Teacher expectancy statements may affect performance in three rather distinct ways: the past association value of the expectancy statement, the value…

A seminar whose purpose is to raise the professional competencies of those concerned about Adult Basic Education (ABE) by providing an overview and understanding of the major principles and practices of ABE is presented. Specific objectives include: (1) to enable each class member to formulate and to defend a philosophy and rationale of ABE which…

Differences in interaction patterns between teachers and high/low achieving and high/low expectation students were examined in four grade 3 and six grade 6 classes, involving 237 students. Teachers interacted most frequently with high achieving/expectancy students, but spent more time waiting for and interacting with low achieving/expectancy…

Since the fall of 1999, the Research Institute on Secondary Education Reform for Youth with Disabilities (RISER) has studied inclusion and instructional reform in four U.S. secondary schools. This article analyzes general education teachers' views on (a) inclusion and its impact on their teaching and their students and (b) the extent to which…

In the positive theory of public bureaucracy, the prevailing view is that the structure of public agencies is designed from the top down by political superiors. Faced with bureaucrats who may disagree with them on policy and who are advantaged by private information, superiors choose rules and procedures to try to ensure that agencies do what they…

The prevailing expectation in education today is, "All children can learn." This expectation includes all children, including disadvantaged children and those who come from poverty. Our actions are guided by our expectations. If we believe that all children can learn, then children can learn. If we believe that children cannot learn, then our self…

This book provides a research background for adults helping three to five year olds learn mathematics, including social and emotional processes as well as key mathematical ideas and common difficulties. It includes implications for practice and proposes presented with a playful and sensitive approach. It is illustrated with examples from the…

Two-thirds of schoolchildren in America attend class in states with mediocre (or worse) expectations for what their students should learn. That's just one of the findings of Fordham's The State of State Standards 2006, which evaluates state academic standards. The average state grade is a "C-minus"--the same as six years earlier, even…

High-performing boards operating at a distinguishable level of excellence, all exhibit a culture of cohesiveness. And a compelling codicil is that these boards did not deliberately set out to become cohesive and perhaps do not even know they are cohesive. This article examines the value of cohesion to university governing boards, explicitly…

In recent years, there has been increased policy interest in the way young people spend their time out of school, and in promoting the availability of opportunities for them to spend this time in productive and developmentally supportive ways. Out-of-school opportunities (such as arts and music programs, sports teams, community service, youth …

This study examined differences at the classroom level between Kentucky schools with minimum versus large gaps in academic achievement between particular groups of students. Data were gathered via observations of 213 classrooms at 18 elementary, middle, and high schools. Although all the schools were identified as high-performing in terms of…

Culturally responsive teaching cannot be approached as a recipe or series of steps that teachers can follow to become effective with American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students. Instead, it relies on the development of certain dispositions toward learners and a holistic approach to curriculum and instruction. This digest draws on a…

Educational leadership for social justice is founded on the belief that schooling must be democratic and an understanding that schooling is not democratic unless its practices are excellent and equitable. Moreover, educational equity is a precondition for excellence. The failure to achieve universally effective education in U.S. society is known…

These exemplar units of work for National Strategy Key Stage 3 English show how medium and short-term planning can be based on the Key Stage 3 Framework objectives and support the implementation of Curriculum 2000. The Key Stage 3 English strand introduces pupils to more specialist study of language and literature and supports the study of…

This report is part of a series of surveys that reflect MetLife's continued efforts to bring insight and understanding to current issues in education that affect American public schools. MetLife's overall goal is to bring the opinions of teachers and students to the attention of educators, policymakers and the American public. The 1997 survey…