An approach to written composition built upon knowledge of the linguistic environments of inner-city blacks is described.

This study examines the relationship between three variables in the problem-solving approaches of emotionally disturbed children. The variables of locus of control, persistence behavior, and reflection-impulsivity were related to each other and to problem-solving approach. The varying nature of these relationships is discussed. (SJL)

This article discusses the author's use of a performance-based evaluation in his fifth grade Spanish class in a K-5 public elementary school located in Princeton, New Jersey. The author realized the need to break the old testing paradigm and discover a new way of demonstrating student language acquisition since the traditional tests did not seem…

out new ideas within their own classroom contexts and with the help of skilled colleagues. Professional development from this perspective, therefore, not only involves teachers attending training sessions such as workshops or conferences but also receiving on-site technical assistance and mentoring in new instructional techniques. To ensure that…

This paper describes the scoring of the upper levels of the Career Ladder system for teachers in the Tennessee Career Ladder Evaluation Systems. The instruments used to evaluate teachers include classroom observation, dialogue with the teacher, a peer questionnaire, student questionnaires, a professional skills test, professional development and…

This study investigated the characteristics of the effective teacher as perceived by a sample of 160 elementary and 60 high school pupils and 60 elementary and 30 high school teachers in a selected Caribbean territory. Results indicated agreement among students and teachers with respect to a number of teacher characteristics perceived as being…

Smoother Sailing is an expanded guidance program to facilitate the development of life coping skills among students in kindergarten through fifth grade in the Des Moines Independent Community School District. Although the philosophy, goals, and objectives of the Smoother Sailing program are consistent with the Elementary Counseling and Guidance…

The Teacher Continuous Feedback Technique (CFT), makes it possible for teachers to collect continuous student critiques of their teaching. The data collected can then be used as the basis for individual faculty development. A selected number of students are requested to write an anonymous critique each class meeting. In order to track performance,…

The literature provides scant evidence that training programs for teachers and administrators have lasting effects on job performance. The study summarized in this paper focuses on principals' perceptions of how their involvement in the Peer-Assisted Leadership (PAL) Program has affected their ongoing actions and attitudes. To determine if PAL's…

Two aspects of rater accuracy in performance assessment were analyzed: rater stringency/leniency, and rater consistency. Data were obtained from three administrations of an oral certification examination in a health profession. The examination consists of clinical cases in four content areas or subspecialities. A total of 364 candidates were…

Theory and implications for methods of assessing administrative performance in simulated exercises are presented. The rationale is given for the following: (1) developing simulated exercises; (2) measuring behaviors exhibited during the exercises; (3) training evaluators; (4) combining information across exercises; and (5) storing and retrieving…

The view that student ratings have contributed to improvement of postsecondary teaching is assessed, based on logical argument and personal observation and research evidence from faculty surveys, field experiments, and longitudinal comparisons. Surveys of faculty attitudes indicate generally positive views on the impact of student ratings on…

An interpretive analysis is presented based on a comparative case study of the relationships between college and university faculty and their presidents in 32 institutions of higher education. Data were collected through interviews during campus visits in 1986-87. The study divided the institutions into six different groups, and looked for…

This study of 502 private, general baccalaureate institutions examined relationships between charges for tuition and traditional measures of institutional quality (such as selectivity, reputation, financial and physical resources, curricular diversity, student-faculty ratios, library holdings, and graduate school placements). The study also tested…