Investigated the persuasiveness of anecdotal and data-summary messages. The messages were read by most subjects (n=106) in less than 30 minutes. Short-term changes in intention and attitude resulted from the anecdotal message, whereas changes to individual beliefs were more long lasting. The data-summary messages produced no short-term or…

Experiences of parent-teacher action research teams established by eight schools that are members of the League of Schools Reaching Out illustrate that, given patience, hard work, supportive leadership, and informed facilitation, the two streams of parent and teacher empowerment can come together for academic achievement. (SLD)

Asserts that an increasingly interdependent Europe will require a high degree of literacy and lifelong learning. Maintains that excessive television viewing hinders the development of literacy skills. Recommends more research about literacy issues. (CFR)

The articles of this special issue represent a compilation and extension of reports concerning work in Oregon for nearly two decades, providing the first extended treatment of that work in one publication. They establish the importance of looking at what teachers and schools accomplish, rather than what they do. (SLD)

After describing inadequacies of current U.S. Department of Education funding strategies in identifying and sharing the best of research and development, this article outlines an alternative vision centered on using evaluation to guide replication. How to overcome constraints in implementing this vision for federal education leadership is…

The president of the American Educational Research Association and professor of education and art at Stanford University explains the value of discipline-based art education, recommends that teachers reflect on their schools and initiate the changes needed to improve school culture, and suggests that educational research must become more…

Describes the historical and current roles that educational statistics play in the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the National Library of Education. Discusses helpful sources of educational statistics, including population, economic, and education surveys; census results; school district directories; reports of school…

Describes the role of cross-disciplinary research in practice and policy for middle-grades education. Argues that for a research agenda to have an impact, it must be a coordinated effort among educators, content area specialists, health educators, psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists, and medical researchers; and coordination must be…

In an effort to connect current research findings on teacher thinking with components of instructional design models and principles, this article discusses a new contextual model for thinking about teaching and considers the implications of the model for instructional development of research in instructional design and teacher thinking. (Author)

Examines perceptions concerning the shape of the earth and the causes of the day/night cycle among American Indian children. Interviews with 26 Lakota/Dakota elementary children revealed a preference for a synthetic model of the earth and animistic explanations for the day/night cycle. Includes excerpts from the interviews. (MJP)

Reports on an experiment that explored novice learners' responses to anomalous data (new data that contradict previous beliefs). Secondary education students were given both anomalous and confirmatory data concerning various theories about the origin of life on earth. Statistical data reveal their level of awareness of the contradictions. (MJP)

An interview with Public Agenda's vice president examines what Public Agenda's research has determined about: attitudes of various groups toward school reform; students' yearning for discipline and standards; the public's perspective of the value of teachers; the public's desire for immediate improvement; the public's engagement in the change…

This interview discusses the school-improvement process, describing difficulties with setting schoolwide goals, what should happen once the goal is selected, what prevents schools from emphasizing a single goal and working to achieve it, the need to develop high academic expectations for all students, how to use research, ways to go beyond test…

Reviews recent applied instructional research for students with learning disabilities for the purpose of providing educators and counselors with the background and logic behind the development of current instructional practices. Topics include procedural prompts, scaffolds, cognitive strategies, story grammar, think sheets, anchored instruction,…

This article describes the Kent State University Ameritech Electronic University School Classroom, opened in 1998 to provide a technology-based classroom for K-12 students and a research laboratory for college faculty and students. Other centers studying the impact of technology on teaching and learning are also described. (Contains three…