This report describes a program for integrating visual art into the core curriculum of sixth grade students, in a growing, upper middle and middle class, suburban community, elementary school located in a northwest suburb of Chicago (Illinois). The problem was noted originally by the teachers, who found the students unable to apply skills learned…

A study investigated the severity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Austrian elementary classrooms and evaluated how teachers help their students when they encounter ADHD related symptoms. Subjects were 37 Austrian elementary teachers and their 750 students. Participating teachers completed the survey by reporting their…

An action research study implemented a program for improving the reading ability of first-grade students who enter school with low reading readiness skills. The targeted population came from a mid-size, middle-class town in northern Illinois that has experienced recent growth and socioeconomic changes. The problem was evidenced by teacher…

An action research study investigated the relationship between literary development and integrated instruction in visual arts (illustration) and language arts. Subjects were students in a second-grade classroom and in an art room in a public school of 500 students in an affluent part of a suburban community. Interactions were examined between…

This paper reports on a two-year professional development project, Teachers Raising Achievement in Mathematics. This action research project involved 8 intermediate school teachers and 10 secondary school teachers who were asked to: (1) examine their own classroom practices and the effect that these had on students' learning, (2) decide what…

In the spirit of educational reform efforts, this digest examines the concept of teacher-as-researcher, a concept rooted in action research. Action research is designed, conducted, and implemented by teachers themselves to improve teaching in the classroom. The research is often a collaborative activity promoting reflective teaching, critical…

Recent reform documents have identified practitioners' lack of awareness and implementation of exemplary, innovative practices, and major national associations have noted the ongoing gap between research and practice. The literature supports collaborative action research and teacher researchers as methods to expand the base of educational research…

This paper traces one example of area support for schools to show how an administrator can initiate school-effectiveness work. The paper describes the implementation of an intervention plan for social justice and improved educational outcomes for aboriginal students, the Social Justice Resource Schools (SJRS) program, which was established in the…

This study examines the use of research techniques to generate information that informs curriculum development, in order to develop more powerful social studies curricula for the primary grades. The paper describes the studies of four implementations of units, all done in self-contained second-grade classrooms in suburban schools with traditional…

A systematic way to create collaborative school improvement is provided. The currently expanding role of administrators as staff developers is explored; 10 strategies are listed for the principal to use as a key player in staff development. Two specific organization development problem-solving strategies, Situation-Target-Plan (S-T-P) and Force…

This paper describes a critical, collaborative, qualitative approach to action research that involved university and school system personnel. The paper discusses researchers' engagement with narratives and conversations during their study, examining how they gained critically reconstructive insights into the teachers' world of curriculum decision…

This project paper described a program for increasing reading comprehension. The targeted population consisted of sixth grade students at River Bend Elementary School in a middle class community located in western Illinois. The problem of a steady decline in reading comprehension was documented by the Illinois Goals Assessment Program, Iowa Tests…

The Professional Development Schools Model (PDSM) allows universities and schools to work together at developing, implementing, and delivering meaningful professional development experiences for practicing educators. One such program is the Utah-Local Educators' Action Research Network (U-LEARN). U-LEARN is a 1-year, 8-credit-hour graduate course…

This paper describes an ongoing collaborative school evaluation program that involves a partnership of different stakeholders in southwestern England. Participants include student teachers, serving teachers, local authority representatives, and university teachers/researchers. The discussion demonstrates the ways in which school evaluation, based…

This paper examines collaborative action research in order to clarify the arguments and research base that either support or oppose the process. Proponents who advocate the institutionalization of collaborative action research point to its theoretical rationale, a growing research base that documents the value and outcomes of the process, and…