School board members, administrators, and teachers must remember that the wearing of "gang" clothing or the appearance of "gang" graffiti does not always translate into gang activity and crime. In reality, the so-called national spread of gang problems may be just another teenage fad. School personnel should treat gangs as a…

Some of the persistent misinformation offered to secondary students while studying chemistry is discussed. A few cases where plausibility, knowingly or otherwise, has been offered to students instead of the accurate explanation are described. Concepts of charge, current, the mole, amount, rates, activation energy, sign convention in voltaic cells,…

The development of students' (n=80) conceptions of matter was investigated. Students' ideas about matter were examined by asking students to verbally explain what matter means and to classify items into matter and nonmatter. A major difficulty is indicated by students regarding the concept of matter. (KR)

The role of analogical mapping in the formation of conceptual misrepresentations was studied by analyzing target-domain inferences generated by 193 third graders learning from an analogy. Explicit knowledge of the instructional goal decreased the number of conflicting inferences. Implications for learning are discussed. (SLD)

Tracking structures are grounded in widespread and historically rooted beliefs about human capacity, individual differences, and the learning process. Successful detracking requires a reconstructed curriculum, an expanded instructional repertoire, provision for special needs, alternative assessment and grading practices, and a process fostering…

Research findings strongly contradict the assumption of high administrator stress. In reality, most administrators, including principals and superintendents, view their work situations as normal and manageable. Administrators who persist the longest are found in central office roles, where the pace is not so frenetic. The chief stressor is…

A common misconception among students setting up force-acceleration problems is to think of the expression "mass times acceleration" as a force itself. Presents a new formula to express the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration, and discusses its benefits. (MDH)

Presents three absorption line sources that enhance student understanding of the phenomena associated with the interaction of light with matter and help dispel the misconception that atoms "emit" absorption lines. Sources include neodymium, food coloring and other common household liquids, and fluorescent materials. (MDH)

Except for its relationship to science, mathematics is the forgotten cousin in interdisciplinary teaching and learning. In the Journeys in Mathematics project, teachers engage children in imaginative activities that inspire them to identify patterns and relationships, solve problems, and communicate accurately, using Jonathan Swift's…

Despite an apparent broad-based consensus on the need for standards, it is still appropriate to question their usefulness. Efforts to reform America's schools by specifying standard levels of expected student performance or standard units for measuring outcomes seriously oversimplify a complex and subtle task. Focus should be on (intellectually)…

Critiques use of postmodernism in educational sociology. Analyzes the foundations of postmodern thought, differentiating among its aesthetic, philosophical, and sociological aspects. Examines contributions of Nietzsche and other nineteenth-century romantic conservatives. Postmodern educational thought misreads global educational trends and…

Traditionalist Christians are concerned about OBE's affective objectives and believe that schools indoctrinate children with undesirable social, political, and economic values. Environmentalism, globalism, and multiculturalism are supplanting ideas about prudent resource utilization, patriotism, and America the melting pot. Schools should offer…

Describes thought-provoking activities with the Cartesian Diver system. Presents student answers explaining the phenomena. (PR)

Presents an activity that provides a model of equilibrium with simple concrete examples. Uses an analogy that employs a box of matches and students in groups. (DDR)

Meier and Krashen, both employed in California's education system, do an injustice to students in rehashing an already settled battle. Fed up with two decades of failure, California voters replaced bilingual education with structured English immersion. Meier and Krashen offer no suggestions for coping with Proposition 227. (27 references) (MLH)