Because educators have unrealistic expectations about tests, they use them inappropriately and draw inaccurate conclusions from results. This article debunks five myths about test-score comparisons: valid measurement of school quality; declining international competitiveness; "fixing" schools with more tests; development of new, improved…

Schools have been criticized perennially for their profligate waste of taxpayer money. Currently, there are two separate myths about schools and money: the United States spends more than any other country; and money doesn't matter. U.S. schools have many nonteaching school employees because they provide services that other nations do not. (MLH)

Abolishing direct-instruction and skill-practice opportunities could have serious consequences for special-needs learners. Teachers should provide explicit and focused, even isolated instruction as needed and integrate it into the larger literacy context. This means conducting ongoing assessments of each student's abilities, skills, and progress…

Describes a teaching model aimed at promoting conceptual change concerning heat and temperature. The model is used with teachers (n=2) and students (n=92) to explore its use as a professional development tool as well as a teaching strategy. Results indicate that the teaching model is effective in changing students' ideas and the approach resulted…

Conventional science instruction often fails to address or change students' misconceptions about physical phenomena. Students stubbornly cling to anthropocentric, causal, and product conceptions about energy. This article explores scientific and pedagogical arguments favoring development of a spiral curriculum for teaching energy in (Israeli)…

Documents a case of model-building in biology through microanalysis of one student's interaction with "Science for Living: The Circulatory System (SFL)", an interactive multimedia resource prototype for research. Describes the student's learning goals, gains, and activities with particular attention to interactions with representations,…

Job satisfaction was examined for 55 self-identified college graduates with learning disabilities (LD) and 55 control graduates matched by gender, major, degree, and graduation year. Graduates with LD perceived themselves as receiving significantly less pay and promotion opportunities, and reported less total job satisfaction than graduates…

Examines both theoretical and practical perspectives on conceptual exchange--exchanging a student's entrenched view on a scientific topic for one based on actual scientific perspective. Endorses the conceptual-mediation model based on interference theory for changing an established view. (AIM)

Demonstrates how social constructivism has affected conceptual change research, and draws implications for reading and writing instruction from conceptual change research using social constructivism as a theoretical framework. Discuss why conceptual change researchers turned to social constructivism as a theoretical framework for their research.…

Describes science-related questions asked by young students aged 4-6. Discusses appropriate responses to typical science questions. (WRM)

Helen Gunter's "Rethinking Education: the Consequences of Jurassic Management" (1997) tackles the relevance of fashionable school management practices. Educational management has become a huge, lucrative multimedia enterprise that promotes management language and culture at the expense of pedagogy, professional collegiality, and scrutiny…

Challenges the message of "biopsychiatry," the belief that all mental illness is biologically based, genetic in origin, and incurable, and can only be treated chemically. Suggests that the epidemic drugging of school-age children is an act of despair. Highlights one family's experience in getting appropriate treatment without medication for their…

Challenges some commonly-held beliefs about what primary children can and cannot learn about astronomy. (Contains 16 references.) (Author/WRM)

Argues that declarative writing about science that presents historical or biographical information incorrectly is not acceptable. (WRM)

Finds that only half of practicing science teachers and a third of pre-service teachers surveyed in Singapore agreed with statements that biological evolution has a valid scientific basis. (Contains 12 references.) (WRM)