Studied the meaning that classroom teachers associate with grades, their value judgments, and the role of measurement instruction in their decisions for 40 teachers with and 44 without measurement instruction. Grades are related to student work, and teachers make value judgments when assigning grades. Measurement instruction makes little…

This article reports the results of a survey, funded by the American Classical League (ACL) and conducted during 1990-91, that assessed attitudes toward high school foreign-language study, in particular the study of Latin and Greek, in the college admissions process. (21 references) (VWL)

In a Texas study of vocational education student loan repayment attitudes, interviews with loan recipients indicate defaults are affected by how much students are pressured to enroll in a program, their understanding of the loan program when signing an application, and how well their vocational education equips them for employment. (Author/MSE)

Parents (n=703) in a college freshman summer orientation program indicated the skills most needed to face future challenges: communication skills, computer skills, critical thinking and decision making, interpersonal skills, and adaptability. These skills correlate with those taught in general education courses, underscoring the relationship…

Reviews educational trends and attitudes toward international education in the United States since the late 1950s, and explores suggestions for internationalizing higher education, involving administrative commitment and coordination, curricula, foreign language study requirements, faculty development, foreign student services, collegiate…

Explores why women's colleges, and the education provided by them, are different than coeducational settings. The article explains how women's colleges provide students with value and respect and give them a sense of ownership. It also discusses why women's colleges excel at preparing students for the future. (GLR)

Analysis of household survey data in Kenya revealed that children's enrollment in school was affected by parents' expectations for future financial help from children and (for girls) by parents' perceptions of labor market discrimination against women, but not by patriarchal norms or child labor. The results challenge traditional explanations of…

A study compared efforts by two rural schools and two urban schools to implement state instructional reforms in South Carolina. Obstacles to rural schools' reform efforts included insufficient human resources to undertake comprehensive reforms and too much familiarity between school and community members, possibly resulting in limited involvement…

Examined how family and parenting variables influenced late adolescents' educational expectations. Surveys of parents and students when students were high school seniors and two years beyond high school indicated that socioeconomic status most strongly related to educational expectations. Adolescents' perceptions of parents' personal involvement…

This article considers how graduate, diploma, and certificate programs in second-language acquisition and didactics, as well as intercultural communication, can help professionalize language instruction and benefit all levels of instruction. (36 references) (Author/CK)

Examines the certification program of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), focusing on professionalization, standards, assessment, and certification. Argues that the NBPTS program will ultimately institute more controls on teachers, further distance "professionals" from laypersons, and inhibit collaborative…

The National PTA conducted focus groups, surveys, and interviews with PTA members and the general public to gauge opinion about public education. Respondents felt that public education has worsened recently. Most did not believe media portrayal of public schooling. Violence was a major concern. Respondents wanted to see more family involvement and…

Considers neopragmatism's use-value for art educators as they inspect the magic words, images, and practices that influence curriculum and instruction. Explains that neopragmatism offers art educators three concepts (contingency, demystification, and recontextualization) as tools to interpret educational beliefs and classroom practices. (CMK)

Introduces this issue of Middle School Journal. Highlights articles presenting theories concerning how male and female adolescents face the development of self-concept, the dilemma of ensuring gender equity, as well as divergent perspectives on helping both genders develop positive self images about themselves as learners. (SD)

Through interviews and direct observation, examined how 120 Toronto (Ontario) children understand and experience kindergarten in ten English first-language (L1) and ten French immersion second-language (L2) classes. Results indicate the similarities between the groups were greater than the differences, contradicting suggestions that L2 immersion…