To succeed in college, career and life in the 21st century, students must be supported in mastering both content and skills. This Implementation Guide presents state leaders, policymakers and/or district and school leaders with assessment tactics and examples to assist in statewide 21st century skills initiatives. The Partnership for 21st Century…

This report is the latest in a series of reports investigating the link between high quality early childhood education and economic development. Longitudinal research from national experts indicates that high quality early childhood programs are likely to impart significant social, academic, and economic benefits to the children who participate,…

This document is one of eight reports prepared to support the development of a new learning system, a development effort that is the first step in a major initiative undertaken by the Stupski Foundation. This document synthesizes recent research and theoretical literature on the special learning needs of urban, underserved students, whom are…

This study sought to connect the science activity educational approach to the higher cognitive development of students using a relatively new learning model, the Cultural Historical theory, based upon the work of Vygotsky. The theory advances the concept that children's intellectual development occurs in interactions with an adult or more capable…

Cognitive abilities of social drinkers are generally thought to be affected by alcohol only during acute intoxication, but several studies suggest that sober-state performance may be affected by the quantity of alcohol consumed per drinking episode. Although the findings regarding sober-state mental deficits in social drinkers are inconclusive,…

The issue of how a child constructs higher order, logical mathematical intelligence within the context of a multiple-intelligences classroom is explored in this story. Teacher journal observations of one 5th-grade child are woven with selected literature on multiple intelligences and research trends in elementary mathematics education. The story…

The objectives of this study were to: examine the potential interaction between students' epistemological beliefs and placement in a simulation condition (constructivist versus non-constructivist) on conceptual development; and to assess whether a constructivist computer simulation experience would result in a greater degree of conceptual change…

Recently, within the field of early childhood education, there has been an increasing emphasis on the role of social construction of knowledge and on the inter-relatedness of aspects of social and cognitive development. This study investigated a proposed relationship between young children's popularity status among peers and a representational…

This paper describes the mental model children have of their own learning, derived from their behaviors when learning a song. The basic assumption of the study is that behavior is an outward expression of a psychological entity. The song chosen for the study was a complex, unfamiliar Zulu song. Thirty-six children in three age groups participated…

Learning organizations constantly question and make appropriate changes in their "mental models." Mental models include the images, assumptions, and stories that everyone carries around in his/her mind---personal mindsets of what an individual considers to be "reality." For example, "high work performance" or…

This study describes the emerging mathematical understanding of one student enrolled in an elementary mathematics content course. Through the medium of her journal entries, a portrait of Elena's struggle to overcome her difficulty with mathematics and construct conceptual knowledge emerges. Though these struggles are not unique, Elena's story is…

As part of a larger project concerned with the development of changes in children's understanding of meaning as they become literate, this study examined the age at which listeners begin to acknowledge paraphrasing as a legitimate response to questions about the utterances of characters in stories. Subjects were 54 native English speakers from…

This book is a compilation of recent research on the development of multiplicative concepts. The sections and chapters are: (1) Theoretical Approaches: "Children's Multiplying Schemes" (L. Steffe), "Multiplicative Conceptual Field: What and Why?" (G. Vergnaud), "Extending the Meaning of Multiplication and Division" (B. Greer); (2) The Role of the…

This paper demonstrates a method for constructing long variables using items that elicit partically correct responses across ages. Long variables may be defined by students at different ages (year levels) attempting common items within a test containing other items considered to be appropriate for each age or year level. A developmental model of…

This paper reviews the current social studies literature on temporal perspective as a psychological phenomenon and relates that literature to the Piagetian paradigm of development. It discusses the contemporary viewpoints on the nature of time and temporality. The paper outlines the distinctions between the Piagetian paradigm and the Vygotskian…