Discusses issues related to homosexuality through the personal reflections of a gay man. Highlights include family, personal, and employer and employee relationships; gays and lesbians in the military; concern over AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome); public support for gay and lesbian rights; and the relevance of these issues for…

The power of an adult developmental perspective for educators is discussed and its relevance to teacher evaluation explored. The conversation among four Florida school districts about teacher evaluation, professional development, and school improvement shows their interest in methods to allow adults to participate in shaping their own professional…

The relationship between perceived leader behavior and student performance in higher education physical education was studied for 180 Nigerian college students, 30 lecturers, and 6 department heads. No relationship was found between perceived leader behavior and student performance or between leaders' and lecturers' perceptions of leader behavior.…

A quiz is presented that may call the attention of school personnel to regression effects in educational measurement, and clarify the meaning of statistical regression for educators in schools. Ten questions and their answers explore regression in the contexts of classroom testing, grading, and performance assessment. (SLD)

Describes teachers' efforts at a New Jersey middle school to learn alternative assessment strategies and implement a portfolio system. As they became more student-centered and interdisciplinary colleagues, these teachers realized they needed new student assessment tools. Portfolio neophytes are advised to start small and simple, using a limited…

Teachers at an interdisciplinary magnet middle school in Pensacola, Florida, collaboratively developed performance assessments to help them evaluate defined student processes and outcomes shown in student writings, oral and electronic presentations, and other portfolio offerings. In interdisciplinary schools, collaboration between curricula and…

Two extensions of the Mantel Haenszel procedure that may be useful in assessing differential item functioning (DIF) are explored. Simulation results showed that, for both inferential procedures, the studied item should be included in the matching variable, as in the dichotomous case. (SLD)

A physics teacher with inner-city-high-school teaching experience contends that spillover violence, due in large part to gang activity in the neighborhood, affects the performance and career choices of inner-city young people and contributes to the paucity of minority students in science classes. This in turn contributes to their lack of…

Outsourcing of school services creates a need for educators to learn how best to select a contractor. Contracted student transportation is used to illustrate flexibility and creativity in writing a request for proposal, the evaluation process, and the importance of contractors' willingness to work alongside the district as a genuine business…

A study examined the overlap between behaviors associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders and emergent literacy skills in 44 children from middle-income families and 41 Head Start children. Attention problems were associated with literacy skills in both groups, however, the effect was strongest for the middle-income group.…

A study of 55 Chinese-American students (ages 7 to 13) with limited English proficiency who were classified as having learning disabilities found that the students fell behind academically and that their pattern of performance was similar to that of English-speaking peers with learning disabilities. Discrepancies between verbal IQ and performance…

Describes how conceptual frameworks, portfolio assessment, and faculty mentoring were used to transition a teacher preparation program to a standards-based approach, explaining that standards-based teacher education and authentic assessments have the potential to greatly change teacher preparation programs, though there must be ways to ensure that…

Reviews legal rulings categorized and abstracted verbatim from cases where student evaluation of faculty is integral to the denial of academic freedom, tenure, reappointment, and promotion. Seventy-eight findings are summarized. (Author/SLD)

Legal rulings related to student evaluation of faculty (SEF) are reviewed in terms of their implications for academic freedom and quality of instruction in higher education. The issues examined are not primarily concerned with individual faculty rights, but with the implications of SEF when used for administrative purposes. (SLD)

Describes the planning involved in implementing child-led parent/school conferences to review student portfolios in one second-grade classroom. Notes that the second graders conducted parent conferences very effectively, there was almost 100% attendance at the portfolio night, and no parent asked for a private conference with the teacher. Includes…