Practical schooling realities defy grand designs for change, including imposing tougher standards. Standards will not work because U.S. schools are complex systems; educators do not understand, accept, or "enforce" state standards; teachers have too many kids and not enough time; student problems predominate; and publicly embarrassing educators is…

Compares the similarities of education and library schools in regard to status. Topics include image problems of education and library schools; and reasons they are held in low esteem in higher education, including gender bias, low pay, social bias, practical versus theoretical orientation, and a lack of research. (LRW)

At a new charter school serving predominantly defiant underachievers and special-needs students, a psychology teacher was challenged to implement founders' brain-based principles. She succeeded by establishing a climate of relaxed alertness, immersing students in meaningful experiences, and guiding them in processing their experiences. (MLH)

Drawing on a study of an experimental teacher education program, the paper recommends changes that prepare new teachers to assume greater leadership responsibility, particularly for collaborative curriculum design and implementation. Teacher educators must model these practices in teacher education coursework. A pedagogy of collective action…

During the 1990s, a new breed of educational-leadership faculty members emerged with the potential to make administrator-preparation programs more relevant and responsive to today's pressing issues. Compared with more senior colleagues, the new breed entered academe at an older age, has more K-12 administrative experience, comprises more women,…

Describes a project in which a small group of teachers of gifted students in primary and secondary schools in England used action research as an holistic way of undertaking professional development, which encouraged them to question their values, beliefs, and assumptions about teaching and learning. (CR)

This commentary on C. Addison Stone's paper on scaffolding for the learning disabilities field suggests that many current applications prevent rather than encourage transfer of responsibility to students for learning and task accomplishment and that current practices in many schools may result in "reverse-scaffolding". (DB)

Argues that the work of Jurgen Habermas offers a means of blending modern and postmodern elements in the field of educational administration. Discusses Habermas' guiding principles, which include: (1) consensus can always be challenged; (2) power must be equalized among those communicating; and (3) the only force that should prevail is that of a…

Describes how one school improved after a new principal put data-based decision making (via a detailed needs assessment) at the heart of school reform and staff development efforts, discussing the school's evolution. The paper examines key factors that support the effective use of data in schools: focus to answer questions, reflection to provide…

Forms part of a themed issue describing "Parent-Kid-Teacher Investigators," a program in which parents, children, and teachers gather regularly to use language and literacy for action research projects. Discusses ways in which schools and families are alike in building a supportive environment for learning. Illustrates conditions contributing to…

Addresses the relationship between curriculum integration and classroom relevance in the practices of 29 Canadian junior high teachers. Teachers found curriculum integration rewarding and demanding. Integrated study units exemplified valued forms of learning: higher order thinking skills, problem-solving, applied knowledge, creativity, invention,…

Asserts that reviews like that of M. Wang, G. Haertel, and H. Walberg are stimulating and useful in thinking about educational research, but they are nearly useless in thinking about educational policy and practice. It is not clear what is meant by "knowledge base," and the finding about proximal and distal variables is simplistic. (SLD)

Describes problems experienced by new Montessori teachers working in public schools, focusing on dealing with students with behavior problems and difficulties in implementing Montessori ideas. Maintains that teachers in difficult situations need to be very firm, have crystal clear expectations, use repeated modeling, be extremely consistent, and…

Reviews research on the "new rhetoric" and written composition, applying these principles to legal discourse writing in the law school curriculum. Notes that the new rhetoric posits that writing is a process of constructing thought and describes selected teaching practices within the reader-writer loop, including reading and writing…

This introductory article notes the special issue's purpose of highlighting ways to close gaps between research and practice in special education from the perspective of teacher preparation, inservice training, professional development, and collaborations between researchers and teachers in local schools. (DB)