Presents data on the underrepresentation of black and other minority teachers and provides recommendations for the recruitment and retention of minority teachers in gifted education in the context of affective, philosophical, and cultural considerations. Research needs are identified in the areas of demographic data, career decisions,…

Considers the importance of scholarly discourse on art and human development and maintains that basic questions need exploration: (1) what is developing psychologically? (2) what are the indicators of development? (3) what indicates development has been constrained in some way? and (4) where does art theory belong in scholarly discourse on child…

An informal survey of textbooks used since 1982 in undergraduate classes in the University of Zimbabwe history department shows that only 8% were written by Africans. Relying on records made by foreigners pursuing colonial objectives, European historians view early Africa as a dark place of illiteracy, disease, famine, witchcraft, and cannibalism.…

The articles of this theme issue explore the use of educational research and whether the American Educational Research Association should play more of an advocacy role in the educational policymaking process. The challenge is one of expanding debate and discussion on educational research beyond the research community to the policy process. (SLD)

Investigates how members of a Usenet newsgroup value and use news sources. Finds that electronic news sources predominated and that media use was not tied to the user's geographic locale. Raises several questions for future research. (RS)

Discusses future directions for group counseling research and encourages a stronger collaboration between group leaders and group researchers as a way to strengthen group research. Encourages collaboration by reviewing and critiquing past group research. Encourages group leaders to describe and study their experiences and share these with…

Differences in research expectations from the perspectives of the consumer (parents and individuals with autism) and the professional academic or research scientist are highlighted. The role of parent groups in supporting and receiving support from the National Institutes of Health is noted. (DB)

Based on the results of a two-year study conducted by the Getty Art History Information Program of online searching by humanities scholars, implications are drawn for the design of information products. Topics include characteristics of humanities scholars; design and content of databases; indexing vocabulary; and interfaces and command languages.…

Describes a study that was conducted to establish empirically a set of instructional design project success indicators and to determine whether stakeholder perspective influences the importance attached to those indicators. Seven project success indicators were identified, suggesting that the common evaluation models are incomplete. (Author/LRW)

Review of tracking research reveals a small number of well-designed studies with equivocal results. The Tennessee Class Size Study demonstrates convincingly that student achievement is better in smaller K-3 classes and the effect continues later in regular-sized classes. More randomized, controlled field trials such as this are needed. (SK)

Primary among the issues in research on school-age children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) is the prediction and control of aggressive behavior. This paper examines issues in the direct measurement of classroom aggression including low base rates, interactional sequences, and reliability. (Author/DB)

Finds that undergraduate student perceptions of caring on the part of their teachers were substantially associated with the students' evaluation of their teachers, their affective learning, and their perceptions of their cognitive learning. Calls for research which helps to identify the specific teacher behaviors which communicate caring to…

Asserts that effective children and adolescents can engage in socially undesirable behavior to attain personal goals at relatively little personal or interpersonal cost, implying that relations between adjustment and aggression may not be optimally described by standard linear models. Suggests that if researchers recognize that some aggression…

Some current ideas concerning the brain mechanisms of reading are presented. An impediment to educational applications of brain research is the remoteness of the classroom from brain research laboratories. An international plan is outlined to bring scientists and educators together to examine current knowledge about brain mechanisms involved in…

Describes the economic impacts and benefits received from public libraries in Florida, indicating that public libraries make a significant contribution to the economic development of the state. Discusses taxpayer funding, budget cuts, and determining economic impacts from taxpayer investments; and presents a framework for further studies.…