Good inservices result from effective communication among administrators, educators, and presenters. Common problems (beyond speakers' control) include ill-defined topics, unexpected audience members, audience size and deportment, unavailable equipment, overly ambitious goals, and lack of continuity. Effective inservices often use conference-style…

In a November 1995 "Educational Leadership" article, Eric Hanushek claimed that neither educational spending nor class size affects student achievement. A rigorous reanalysis of the evidence, including Hanushek's own data, shows that resources matter. While increased spending will not automatically produce increased achievement, adequate…

Debunks several myths that have arisen in schools' misapplication of the author's multiple intelligences (MI) theory. Argues that seven intelligences do not require seven different intelligence tests. An intelligence is a construct, not a domain, discipline, or learning style. MI theory is empirical and compatible with general intelligence theory.…

Discusses results of a Missouri study that assessed the effect of open records laws on the accessibility of financial reports of local government. When approaching selected organizations for the study, most inquirers successfully obtained such reports, indicating that anecdotes about agency noncompliance may not be a correct indicator of…

A steady diet of bad news and undeserved criticism has created a national climate of skepticism about public education. As reports about schools' failings are publicized by the news media, educators turn inward, failing to rebut the reports and triggering unwarranted attacks by the political far right. News media and a skeptical public must become…

Provides a chart comparing state and national objectives. Assesses student understanding of photosynthesis and explains the process of teaching students producer-consumer relationships. (Contains 14 references.) (YDS)

Describes how to use weekly reports and addresses three questions: (1) What did you learn this week?; (2) What questions remained unclear?; and (3) If you were the professor, what questions would you ask to find out whether students understood the material? Student writing was used as a two-way feedback tool in teaching science. (Contains 21…

Describes the diverse immigrant groups from Asia and the Pacific, revealing a more complicated story of their educational achievement than media portrayals of "successful" Asian Americans. (EV)

Investigates the impact an undergraduate quantum chemistry course has on students' knowledge and understanding of atomic orbitals, molecular orbitals, and related concepts. Analysis reveals that students do not have a clear understanding of these concepts and confuse the various atomic orbital representations. Includes some suggestions and…

Reviews evidence that refutes unfavorable portraits of American mathematics teachers in two books, "The Teaching Gap" (James Stigler and James Hiebert) and "Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics" (Liping Ma). Young students' difficulty with the "equals" concept can be addressed by teaching algebraic concepts…

Suggests activities to elicit and develop children's conceptual understanding of plants. (Author)

Describes an investigation of first-year chemical engineering students' understanding of the mole concept. Finds that a series of activities designed to provide students with visual or experiential points of reference for the mole concept had a strong positive effect on student misconceptions. Contains 16 references. (Author/WRM)

Reports on the findings of a research project involving decimals and students' misconceptions about them. Offers some practical activities that may help children understand decimals better. (ASK)

Explores misconceptions that students hold about sampling techniques on surveys. Highlights students' thinking and instructional implications from two studies that examined upper-elementary students' written and oral explanations as they responded to survey situations. (ASK)

Investigates students' understandings and misconceptions of specific concepts in chemistry by using the quantum model of atoms and molecules. (Contains 20 references.) (YDS)