This article details a 5-year evolution of a middle school mathematics faculty serving predominantly economically at-risk students. Faculty members worked to improve students' mathematics test scores, used a scripted curriculum, and integrated National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards-based activities. Schools nationwide are…

The internationalisation of education has become a major focus of international, national and institutional attention, reflected in a substantial and expanding literature on how internationalisation is manifested, how it might be promoted, its implications for areas such as government policy, strategic planning and management, educational quality,…

The use of technology in the classroom and in support of educational administration are essential to the achievement of excellence by Oregon schools in the 21st Century. This document is the outcome of a study conducted by the Oregon Department of Education to evaluate the current information and communication needs within the Department. The…

This final report, in the form of an executive summary presents the findings of the Families in Action project, a 5-year effort to examine the experiences of parents and other members of families of children with emotional disorders as members of policy-related bodies. The project also addressed the development of strategies to enhance parent…

This paper discusses the importance of pilot studies in the development and implementation of a research project, focusing on the use of a pilot study to revise conceptual and methodological issues in dissertation research on higher education leadership. It examines the hermeneutic circle, as described by M. Heidegger, that stresses the importance…

Papers by graduate students, and occasionally papers from their mentors which establish a context for the student papers, are organized into four sections. Section 1, "Observation," includes two papers, "Observation Children at a Puppet Theater Performance" (Grace Johnson), and "Manipulations: Clay Construction" (Kim Spradling). Section 2,…

This issue of "The Goldfinch" focuses on Iowa history. The booklet is divided into two sections. Section 1, "Features," contains the following: (1) "Looking for History"; (2) "Talking History"; (3) "Climbing the Family Tree"; (4) "Tribal Storytelling"; (5) "News About You"; (6)…

As American schools struggle to meet the needs of an increasingly disenfranchised adolescent population, many models of restructuring are tried. This study explores one school for at-risk students wherein teachers worked weekly with a therapist. Positive student outcomes garnered through this educational and therapeutic process are examined. An…

This paper examines interviews with principals and surveys of 19 teachers in 5 schools about their use of portfolio assessment. Six themes are identified that reveal the impact of portfolio assessment. Teachers reported that using portfolios broadened the types of evidence they considered in assessing students. The transition to portfolio…

This report and its companion, volume I, provide a snapshot of people experiencing homelessness in Minnesota. The information in this volume, which focuses on unaccompanied youth, is intended as a resource for planners, policymakers, service providers, and others addressing the problems associated with homelessness. On October 27, 1994, trained…

Guidelines for taking oral histories are presented in this guide. The guide was developed for a project to teach Nicaraguan literacy teachers how to record personal narratives for the purpose of preserving cultural history and heritage. An introductory chapter discusses the distinction and relationship between "testimony," which…

This paper analyzes an understudied dimension of inner-city education--the diverse nature of women's personal experiences and levels of success in school and the kinds of supportive resources they receive. The data are from qualitative interviews with 53 black teen mothers and their nonparent peers who reside in Detroit (Michigan) or Milwaukee…

This study evaluated accuracy of the assumption of the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) that higher education students of unknown race or ethnicity should be distributed over the remaining resident categories in the proportion of those whose race/ethnicity is known. This study endeavored to estimate the error associated with any…

This study compares affiliative and attachment behaviors of nontraditional fathers who are their infant's primary caregivers, secondary caregiving fathers, and primary and secondary caregiving mothers. Subjects were 28 mobile infants and their middle-class American parents. In half of the families, the father was the primary caregiver; in the…

A study explored the cognitive processes and social-situational influences underlying students' assessment of their own foreign language proficiency, focusing on process rather than result of self-evaluation. The subjects, 28 college student learners of French at different course levels, were administered a self-assessment questionnaire on the…