In this article, the author attempts to enter the charter school dialogue by looking at the new charter school movement through an anti-essentialist social movement and new social movement lens. In the anti-Western new social movement conception there are no set patterns to how movements manifest themselves, or how they were intended to manifest…

This article reports on a study of obstacles to employment among mothers with children in foster care. The study relies on standardized measures, has a cross-sectional design, and includes a sample of 158 mothers. The analysis shows a high prevalence of obstacles; identifies three co-occurring obstacles, each involving substance abuse, that are…

Although proficiency is a primary goal, the objectives of second language (L2) teaching are also to enhance learners' understanding of the nature of language and culture (National Standards, 1999). This study, based on interviews with 13 American women living in Venezuela, explores nonnatives' perspectives on factors that influence their…

This article reports on research on secondary-school teachers and dilemmas they encounter in their work in multi-ethnic schools in the Netherlands. The results of a recent study based on interviews are compared with a survey conducted in 1996. This showed that in a changing societal context, that can be characterized by mounting selection and…

In this study, the author adapted reciprocal teaching strategies for use with her kindergarten students. Using puppets to help model strategies, she implemented a series of lessons that showed students how to retell, ask questions, and predict what would happen in a story that was read aloud. The purpose was to provide students with comprehension…

An international trend in school psychology services is a shift from an emphasis on assessment-based activities to a paradigm of consultation problem-solving and behavioural intervention. As the profession experiences an expansion of roles and functions, school psychologists should have an understanding of a critical aspect of behaviour change:…

This article examines language and literacy use in two communities in which Spanish-speaking children live and attend school, documenting the confounding of socioeconomic status, ethnic density, and access to Spanish language and print. Drawing on community observations and interviews with parents and children in a yearlong ethnographic study, we…

In 1990, UBC signed the Talloires Declaration--an international commitment to environmental sustainability in higher education. In 1997, the University of British Columbia (UBC) adopted a Sustainable Development Policy stating the campus will adhere to sustainable practices in all of its actions and mandates and that all students will be educated…

This paper discusses an innovative programme of collaborative EFL teaching in Hong Kong primary schools, involving team-teaching shared between imported native-speaking English teachers and their local counterparts. First it analyses the way in which the scheme has evolved from previous experiences. The paper then draws on an open-ended…

This article reports on a case study conducted to examine the instructional strategies utilized, teacher and student attitudes, and student achievement when a sixth-grade teacher and her 19 students implemented a hypermedia, problem-based learning unit. Results revealed that the teacher used questioning, peer support, group and individual…

Early life experiences can powerfully impact attitudes toward learning and later achievements in education. The chances for optimal development of children with special needs, including the gifted and talented, can be enhanced with identification and intervention at an early age. This paper reports on investigations into the lives of five gifted…

In this paper, we explore the secondary school environment as an important context for understanding young teenagers eating habits and food practices. We draw on data collected during semi-structured interviews with 36 young teenagers (aged 13/14 years) living in disadvantaged circumstances in Scotland. We found that the systems inherent in school…

Despite mandates for Head Start programs to provide mental health services to families and children, considerable variability remains in the level and type of services provided by mental health consultants. A qualitative study was conducted to explore staff perceptions about the role of mental health consult- ants and, in particular; the ways in…

Drawing upon empirical data, this article explores the ways in which school culture and leadership impact on new teachers' learning in the workplace. The study was carried out over a two-year period and involved a cohort of 14 new teachers and 18 elementary and secondary schools. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the new…

This is an investigation of "situated learning" among Singaporean physical education student teachers (STs) (n = 11) who used a games concept approach (GCA) on their practicum in primary schools. Introduced to the physical education curriculum as part of a revised, mandated national syllabus, the GCA was reportedly having little impact…