This experimental study explored whether, and to what extent, differences in gender and experience with word processing affect how students perceive their classroom environment in high school writing classes. Treatment of experimental and control groups is described, and the classroom environment questionnaire for the experimental…

The philosophies of adult education and Total Quality Management (TQM) are compared, and it is proposed that their combination can result in a powerful educational tool. A case study illustrating the merging of TQM and adult education principles in a community college business curriculum is presented. Strategies for making adult learning a more…

Analyzes teachers' attitudes regarding the value and practicality of adapting their teaching to the needs of heterogeneous classes. Surveys teachers and administrators in five German comprehensive schools. Finds that teachers do not support the view that within-class grouping may be a viable alternative to systems of across-class setting by…

Examines how the instructional conversation can be an effective method to raise the low academic achievement of various Native American students. Considers cultural differences in conversational styles, the relative emphasis on verbal or visual symbolic thinking in schools, student motivation, and the social organization of classrooms and schools.…

This article considers links between instructional group size and student engagement, caseload and academic achievement, and caseload and special educator attrition. Findings indicate larger caseload and group sizes negatively affect math and reading achievement, student engagement increases when group sizes decrease, and high teacher attrition…

Examines six constraints on teachers' ability to promote higher-order thinking in the classroom (schedule, student attitudes, teacher attitudes, resources, atmosphere, and assessment). Explores possibilities for overcoming such constraints, including block scheduling, integration of the curriculum and thematic teacher, portfolio assessment,…

Stresses the importance for Catholic school educators to reveal the Christian message through every gesture of behavior and foster an experiential faith in students' lives. States that this demands a great deal of skill, knowledge, and self-awareness on the teacher's part, and requires self-esteem, authentic caring, humility, and communication…

Strategies to implement partnership teaching in the classroom include considering unsuccessful attempts at negotiating social situations as mistakes rather than misbehavior, introducing Gandhi's concept of truthful love, and using nonviolent communication in conflict resolution. A partnership school council involves all students in school…

This study examined whether aggression is contagious in day care classrooms. In a low-income, urban day care center, it was hypothesized that aggression was more likely to occur immediately following an aggressive act than when no aggression occurred. The prediction was tested using a newly developed randomization process and the hypothesis was…

Identifies benefits of family involvement in the early childhood classroom for the child, parents, and teacher. Describes barriers to parent involvement: parent availability, parent and teacher awkwardness, schedule conflicts, and school resistance to full parent inclusion. Provides six principles for involving parents in their children's…

This descriptive study focuses on the understandings expressed by nine second graders about themselves as readers and looks at the direct experiences of the students in their reading groups. Findings suggest that these proficient and less proficient readers hold very different perceptions of themselves as readers and that these perceptions are…

A linear structural model was studied to investigate the factors affecting reading literacy and mathematical literacy skills of 15-year-old students in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000 data across different cultural settings. Brazil, Japan, and Norway were selected for the purpose of comparison on the basis of their…

This article describes NASA LIVE (Learning through Interactive Videoconferencing Experiences), a free series of videoconferencing programs produced by NASA's Langley Center for Distance Learning in Hampton, Virginia. NASA LIVE is designed for K-12 educators and students, allowing teachers and students to interact with NASA experts in a virtual…

How do meetings in elementary classrooms influence student attitudes and behaviors, both individually and collectively? Can regular opportunities to participate in collective problem solving educate students for peacemaking and alter the social dynamic of the classroom? As an experienced teacher who previously studied class meetings in a private…

This paper explores whether a scaffolded, multimedia learning environment might mitigate obstacles that dissuade teachers from implementing problem-based practices. We present a longitudinal analysis of one expository-oriented teacher's experience with such an environment and examine underlying belief, knowledge, and dispositional factors that may…