This study, begun in October 1987, was conducted to explore the effect of particular contexts of schooling on educational outcomes and to provide a comprehensive look at what and how context conditions affect teaching and learning. The study design integrates 3 years of field research in 16 public and private high schools in 2 states and analyses…

Components that should comprise a model for analyzing the impact of educational reform are discussed. An analytic framework is presented that consists of a synthesis from research of the following elements considered crucial in the formation of such a framework: (1) objectives or goals of the reform; (2) processes used to reach those objectives;…

This paper compares and contrasts cases of three beginning teachers, graduates of a teacher education program that included an intervention component designed to change prospective elementary teachers' knowledge and beliefs about mathematics education. The goal of the intervention (a sequence of three mathematics courses, a methods course, and a…

Although theories on developmental writing assume that basic writers do not write well because of cognitive deficits, recent research and classroom experience suggest that poor writers lack skill because they have not had sufficient contextually meaningful practice. Writing research indicates that the unskilled writer's tendency to write as if…

In this study, we discuss the use of generative evaluation as an innovative approach in the analysis of qualitative interview data for evaluating simultaneous renewal of Iowa State University's PT3 grant. Goodlad's (1994) simultaneous renewal framework forms the basis of our argument. We focused on the CREATER+ model designed to explain the…

The contexts and purposes for civic writing may influence the composition process as well as text features, and an analysis of the purposes and audiences for civic writing might yield an insight into the way that such writing stimulates the personal and moral development of both its readers and writers. An examination of two related pieces written…

On the whole, professionals agree that there is an advantage in both parents having access to the child or children after separation. This paper provides (1) an overview of the controversy over the value of such access; (2) a description of various contexts of access disputes and perspectives involved in the assessment of access situations; (3) a…

Meaningful and useful evaluations of teaching and teachers must not only identify and define all the mitigating contexts, but must also account for their influences, both constructive and negative. Among the contextual factors that need to be considered in planning teacher evaluations are: student characteristics; goals, objectives and curriculum…

The primary purpose of "National CrossTalk" is to stimulate informed discussion and debate of higher education issues. This publication contains the following articles: (1) "Truth in Tuition" (Susan C. Thomson); (2) In Katrina's Wake (Kathy Witkowsky); (3) News from the Center: New Center Associates; (4) Colorado On the Edge…

The paper considers the main results and some educational implications of the TIMSS 2003 assessment conducted in Serbia in the fields of the science achievement of Serbian eighth grade students and the science curriculum context of their achievement. There were 4264 students in the sample. It was confirmed that Serbian eighth graders had made…

This Study Circle is based on research conducted by a team led by Victoria Purcell-Gates. Their research examines the relationships between two dimensions of literacy instruction (the degree of authenticity of activities and texts and the degree of student/teacher collaboration) and changes in the literacy practices of students outside the…

Theories of learning in social settings, no matter their philosophical orientation, must address issues of intersubjectivity (IS). This paper starts with the premise that IS is a fundamental and unavoidable aspect of social interaction, and that understanding its nature is necessary for developing reliable theories of socially mediated learning…

This paper reports on two teacher educators' efforts to understand an increasingly complex set of issues related to the effect of their roles as educators on their relationship with their colleagues. They explored the various setting in which language education occurs and examined how these settings could impact the autonomy of all participants…

This research assumes a relatively stable lifeworld for young people. For example, it assumes that the meaning of volunteering or service is sufficiently similar across multiple contexts to remain a valid and stable indicator. By extension, it also assumes that the lifeworld of young people today is not undergoing a period of rapid, and perhaps…

A prolegomenon--a "critical discussion to introduce and interpret an extended work"--exactly describes the purpose of this essay, since the Appalachian Collaborative Center for Learning, Assessment, and Instruction in Mathematics (ACCLAIM) is very much an extended work. This essay develops a tentative theoretical framework to help represent…