The "Notes & Reflections" newsletter offers practical information--ideas, strategies, tools, and resources--about topics of special interest to professional developers who are working to improve school performance. Today, professional development services to schools are provided by variety of people: teacher leaders; principals; and district,…

Many students who use hearing aids effectively in quiet environments have a difficult time following information presented in large college classrooms. In the classroom, the instructor's voice is competing with background noise, room echo, and distance. Therefore, the intelligibility of the instructor's voice is degraded by the poor room acoustics…

Noting that Maria Montessori pioneered early childhood education (ECE) reform in Italy, and the surge in innovation in ECE after WWII, this videotape describes the early childhood system in the city of Pistoia, Italy, known for its high-quality and innovative services. The 30-minute video offers footage from 2 of the 9 full-day infant toddler…

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…

This paper argues that progressive pedagogy is a viable alternative to more limited basic skill approaches to school reform. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data collected during the fourth year of a 7-year multi-site school reform initiative in a besieged urban district, the paper documents ways in which teachers have dramatically altered…

This paper is a report of a middle-school teacher's study of classroom management. The teacher/researcher was interested in how some of the techniques in the Kovalik Integrated Thematic Instruction model of training would influence the teacher/researcher's classroom management; the effects of direct instruction within a community circle; the…

This document discusses results from a Campus Climate survey conducted at Cypress College on faculty and staff during the fall 2000 semester. The survey queried employees regarding their general perception of the campus, ethnic diversity, job satisfaction, and perceptions of the students and programs. This was the first time such a study was…

This book focuses on ways teacher can support the social and emotional needs of gifted students. Chapter 1 describes the general characteristics of gifted students and some problems associated with those characteristics. Chapter 2 suggests some ways to improve the identification of gifted students and answers common questions about identification.…

This paper--part of a collection of 54 papers from the 48th annual conference of the Education Law Association held in November 2002--addresses social forces that affect the school curriculum regarding legal rights of public-school students. It identifies areas of concern and recommends methods for ensuring that the legal rights of students are…

Developmentally and Culturally Appropriate Practice (DCAP) is a culturally congruent and critical pedagogy that serves as a framework for early childhood education for all individuals. This paper examines young children's gender differences in learning and their gender-oriented culture and promotes developmentally and culturally appropriate…

A study examined the characteristics of successful schools along the Texas-Mexico border, where high percentages of students were Mexican American, came from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and had limited English proficiency. Three elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools were selected on the basis of the following…

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…

Though technology has played an increasingly significant role in all types of classrooms, the actual use of technologies has not caught up with the increased availability of hardware and software. Building community in an assistive course, can make full use of advanced technologies and create a student-centred learning environment to meet each…

In this study, Pre-service Science Teachers' (PSTs) views about the potential benefits and existing barriers of their argumentation on the World Wide Web about what is happening in middle school science classrooms during two semesters of their practicum experiences were investigated. "Special Web Group" called the "Collaborative…

The current mathematics education reform requires substantial changes toward student-centered instruction. In contrast to the widespread awareness of the reform agenda, there is a concern that many teachers do not quite grasp the vision of the reform. This study explored the breakdown that may occur between teachers' adoption of reform objectives…