Examines school district practices which affect student performance. Rather than central offices making decisions for individual schools, districts should provide a framework within which teachers and principals can participate in decision making. The article discusses central office role in leadership, curriculum, personnel, budget, faculty…

An unidentified dental student who tested positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus offers a personal perspective on the emotions, concerns, and considerations of a seropositive student. He outlines the process by which he made decisions concerning his situation and describes the response of family, fellow students, and dental school…

This study identified factors in graduating medical students' choice of primary versus nonprimary care specialty. Subjects were 509 students at the Medical College of Georgia in 1988-90. Students could be classified by such factors as desire for longitudinal patient care opportunities, monetary rewards, perception of lifestyle, and perception of…

A fifth-grade teacher describes her investigation of direct teaching of collaborative skills, explaining how she taught explicit cooperative skills and documented her findings. The teacher describes patterns of higher-quality journal entries, improved collaborative skills, increased self-esteem, transfer of collaborative skills to new contexts,…

A telephone survey of 26 principals on their use of Chapter 1 funds for family and community involvement activities found several barriers, including restrictions, lack of information and adequate funds, and fear of change. However, schoolwide planning, new legal flexibility, and district support can make Chapter 1 funds more useful. (JB)

Explores the use of ability grouping as a guideline for educational decision making. Ability grouping is often detrimental because it may foster segregation and poor teaching and lower students' self-esteem. Some studies demonstrate a slight positive effect on achievement. Higher ability students may derive more academic benefit from grouping.…

Presents a scripted lesson plan for intermediate grades, based on M.C. Wittrock's model of generative teaching derived from brain lateralization research. Uses a shopping mall as the setting for hypothetical dilemmas. Offers a combination of verbal and imagined strategies that improve students' economic reasoning and teaches cost-benefit analysis.…

Maintains that citizenship education is a major goal of elementary school, social studies instruction. Explains four strategies to establish democracy in the classroom: discussions, democratic decision making, modeling, and examining reasons for democratic behaviors. Stresses linking rights to responsibilities and promoting respect for self and…

How knowledge of children's thinking in mathematics derived from a cognitive science research model was used by a first-grade teacher to make instructional decisions over four years is described. The curriculum, teacher expectations, and method for using research-based knowledge are reviewed, along with the teacher's knowledge and beliefs. (SLD)

Argues that complex forces (new delivery technologies, changing demographics, emergence of corporate universities, global economy) have created a new, competitive landscape for higher education that forces institutions to think methodically about how to respond. A framework for college planning, incorporating three critical components, is…

Describes the case of a Harvard University (Massachusetts) faculty member denied tenure, focusing on the process by which tenure and promotion are decided behind closed doors, the nature and criteria for faculty evaluation for tenure, non-disclosure of tenure-committee membership, and principles of due process in this case. (MSE)

Examines how data is useful in three integral areas of media center management and decision making: collection development and budgets, including circulation data and media center usage; curriculum integration and information literacy, including the types of instructional support librarians offer teachers; and staff development and staff skills.…

Case studies of two British families with deaf preschool children were conducted to identify factors that could influence parents' selection of a communication method. Factors included information provided to parents, perceptions of assistive technology, attitude of service professionals and educational authorities, and quality and availability of…

Provides examples of schools and districts nationwide that use data-based decision making effectively to enhance beginning teacher induction, multi-age reading classes, literacy education, tracking of student achievement, ongoing staff development, and school discipline efforts. The programs share a commitment to putting data at the center of…

Uses data from 39 countries to analyze how various institutional features and policies affected student performance on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. Students in countries with centralized exams, little teacher/union influence on budgets, and larger shares of private-school enrollments had significantly higher TIMSS scores.…