This paper describes a study in which both collaborative action research and collaborative mathematics classroom instruction took place. The mathematics instruction consisted of the implementation of a problem-solving curriculum into seventh-grade mathematics classrooms. One problem-solving strategy per week for 10 weeks was introduced to the 4…

A study examined and described a program for implementing a writer's workshop to increase the literacy skills of reading and writing. The targeted population consisted of early childhood special education, kindergarten, and first-grade students in a growing, middle class community located in northern Illinois. The problems of poor reading…

Limited professional focus appears to impair teacher unions' external influence and internal communication. Inquiry and research may be used as a strategy to improve professional focus thereby increasing teacher unions' influence within the profession and helping them effectively address structural change issues. By shifting to the inquiry mode,…

This symposium paper reports on developing biographical qualitative research methods, mixing personal narrative and conceptualization. The section on "Learning To Do" begins with an autobiographical report on a study of an urban classroom during which the author developed his early techniques for qualitative research, including the…

An action research project describes a cross-age tutoring program to help increase the reading achievement of targeted second graders. The targeted population consisted of second and fifth graders in a middle class suburban community west of a large midwestern city. The problems of poor word attack skills and reading comprehension were documented…

This report describes a program for increasing reading test scores. The targeted population consisted of one second-grade, one third-grade, and two fourth-grade classrooms in a growing middle class community located in a far western suburb of Chicago, Illinois. The problem of low reading test scores was documented though the 1995 IGAP scores on…

This paper describes a program for improving reading skills at the beginning of first grade so that a rapid acquisition of skills will enhance students' ability to succeed in their respective basal programs. The targeted population used a first grade in a suburban school (Site A) and a first grade in a mid-sized, Midwestern city school (Site B).…

An action research project focused on how a child's academic achievement is affected by his or her chronological age. The population consisted of kindergarten and third-grade students in a growing middle class community within a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Evidence for the existence of this problem was gathered from teacher surveys,…

The Tasmania Department of Education and the Arts commissioned policy research in February 1992 to identify forms of accountability preferred by stakeholders. This paper describes the policy-research project that sought to clarify the accountability processes and the criteria for collecting data and improving the quality of learning, teaching, and…

The League of Professional Schools consists of 5 self-governing chapters in 3 states and has more than 100 member schools. For this study, a total of 1,379 teachers from 43 Georgia public schools (29 elementary, 7 middle and 7 high schools) were surveyed to determine their sense of efficacy about teaching effectiveness and their degree of…

This paper outlines situation-based learning as used within the Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood) program at the University of Western Sydney, Australia, and the processes of reflection and evaluation that accompany it, and discusses how issues identified by educators are incorporated as subjects into packages for students' study and…

This case study of a school-based parent center in a low-income Latino community, based on action research, investigated ways in which low-income parents became involved with their child's school, and identified barriers and supports to the implementation of various parent involvement activities. Data were collected through participant…

The project described in this report used action research to study the involvement of teachers in the change process at a suburban elementary school. The project used study groups as a professional development strategy that fosters educational reform efforts. All 28 teachers on the school's staff signed up for a group. Teachers appreciated the…

This book offers guidelines for school administrators who want to apply the principles of Total Quality Management to the organizational challenges faced by schools. Based on W. Edwards Deming's nine attributes of successful leadership, the book shows how to make the transformation to instructional leadership based on Total Quality Education…

This paper reports action research that focuses on gender as a social influence on learning through literacies such as listening, speaking, reading and writing, and orality. Data were collected in three physics classes taught by two teachers, one male and one female, representing three levels of physics. Teachers and researchers worked together in…