PRAGMATICS & LANGUAGE LEARNING, a refereed series sponsored by the National Foreign Language Resource Center at the University of Hawai'i, publishes selected papers from the biannual International Pragmatics & Language Learning Conference under the editorship of the conference hosts and the series editor. Check the NFLRC website for…

Maintains that the explosion of communications technology represents both content and method for social studies courses. Praises the International Negotiation Project (INP) as an educational resource that incorporates both. The INP is a computer-assisted simulation of international negotiation and foreign policy decision making. (MJP)

Argues that democratisation, localization, and national identity are indivisible in Taiwan. Explains that social pressure groups, teachers, and parents are empowered in policy making processes, while the power of school officials to respond to these groups is limited. Discusses the role of school curriculum in promoting ethnic cultures and…

To succeed in 21st-century schools, teachers must dynamically respond to the ever-changing environment through a continually reflexive stance. Centered teachers are flexible and active participants in school decision making. They develop personal missions and participate in school missions, resolve conflict in appropriate ways, and use effective…

Recommends ways to implement citizenship education in elementary school social studies lessons and classroom procedures. Emphasizes teachers' influence as role models. Identifies conceptual, process, and affective citizenship education goals. Suggests classroom activities and events for developing students' decision-making skills, awareness of…

Describes an interdisciplinary survival project that piques middle school students' imaginations as it tests their problem solving and critical thinking skills in a survival setting. The futuristic time travel project integrates subject areas and fosters skills in communication, cooperation, and group decision making. (SM)

The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with a conceptual understanding of the key elements in a three tiered Response to Intervention (RTI) model. The three tiered model is discussed in terms of how it would be applied in implementing an intervention program to promote the development of reading. The characteristics of interventions,…

Educators base many of their most significant decisions on what they think will happen in the future. This article on education technology begins by outlining six notable advances in education information technology that have already occurred. Ten predictions are made concerning general advances in education information technology for the next…

Collective teacher efficacy refers to teacher perceptions that they constitute an effective instructional team, capable of bringing about learning in students. Previous research demonstrates that a school staff with a strong sense of collective efficacy is likely to generate high student achievement. This study of 2,170 teachers in 141 elementary…

Educators often ignore the political requirements of urban reform in their focus on the research and models that guide it. Conversely, political scientists frequently miss the differences among reforms in their focus on coalitions and resources. Integrating Clarence N. Stone's concept of "civic capacity" with an educator's view of reform…

This five-part essay sets out various achievement goals for higher education institutions and educators. The first paper, "Guidelines in Higher Education," lists the criteria for encouraging broad faculty participation in the decision-making process, improving the quality of human relations, encouraging scholarly pursuits among faculty members,…

This report synthesizes the key themes and ideas discussed at two 1-day workshops addressing issues in the use of IQ tests in special education evaluation and placement. The first section considers the background and legal context of the issue. The next section looks at IQ tests in school settings. Key ideas raised include the importance of never…

This book, in a question-and-answer format, poses and discusses 50 questions that high school students who intend to go to college and their parents might ask about preparing for college. Its aim is to help students clarify their goals in applying to college and develop strategies for a college-entry plan. Students are encouraged first to ask what…

The Families in Education Program of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has existed since 1987 to increase awareness of the need for schools to involve parents as true partners in the education of children. This 1997 parents' guide presents ways that parents and families of both younger children and high school students can become…

A study evaluated the effects of Strong Interest Inventory (SII) completion and participation in a theoretically based model of SII feedback/interpretation on the social cognitive career beliefs of 99 first-year students at a southwestern university. The Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale--Short Form (CDMSES-SF) measured each participant's…