"Talent in the New Millennium" was a research study into gifted education, conducted over a two-year period in 68 centres and schools in three disparate regions of New Zealand. Using questionnaires, oral interviews and sample case studies, the study drew input from educators of the gifted, from children and students identified as gifted,…

With the increasing prevalence of online education, institutions of higher education may encounter challenges as they seek to hire instructors who have the skills, knowledge base, and competencies that "best fit" the unique characteristics associated with online teaching. This article describes the initial development of the Systematic Interview…

Few educators today would argue with statements about the growing diversity of the children being educated in most schools. There is acceptance and often celebration of this diversity, including the growth and dispersal of the population of children and youth from diverse linguistic backgrounds, but there are also concerns about the ability to…

This article outlines the background to, and progress on, a project based on work carried out at the Open University UK (OUUK). The aim of the project is to articulate the attributes and expertise required by tutors of languages in distance education. A review of the literature on the roles and competencies required for tutors operating at a…

Much has been written about the problems associated with reliance on extrinsic rewards and punishment in controlling behavior and motivating students. This study explores the use of extrinsic rewards and punishment by prekindergarten-grade 3 teachers in Missouri. The purpose of the study was to (a) determine the most common motivational practices…

Researchers and policymakers have pointed to the lagging scores of eighth graders on international, national, and state assessments as evidence that students are not prepared to meet high academic standards and that middle grades reform is needed. In response to these concerns, educators have introduced reforms designed to provide middle-level…

In this paper, a companion piece to "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools" (ED544382), the authors analyze small high school spending in three urban districts--Baltimore City, Boston, and Chicago--to understand whether it is higher than in larger schools; if it is, why it is different; and the policy…

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

This volume is the second in a set of two published as the 2008 Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education. Planning for the volumes began more than five years ago, when the Society's Board of Directors expressed an interest in taking steps to encourage a more expansive, penetrating dialogue about education in democratic…

Flexible Learning in an Information Society uses a flexible learning framework to explain the best ways of creating a meaningful learning environment. This framework consists of eight factors--institutional, management, technological, pedagogical, ethical, interface design, resource support, and evaluation--and a systematic understanding of these…

This DVD contains interviews with Black students, White and Black teachers, educational experts and school administrators that poignantly bring to life the issues, strategies and competencies that teachers need to engage with--if they are to create the conditions that will enable their students of color to succeed and excel. From these candid,…

This report presents findings about accountability from two longitudinal studies, the National Longitudinal Study of "No Child Left Behind" (NLS-"NCLB"), and the Study of State Implementation of Accountability and Teacher Quality Under "No Child Left Behind" (SSI-"NCLB"). The research teams for these two…

The past eight years have seen an unprecedented level of education policy activity focused on issues of teacher quality. Policies have been developed at federal, state, and institutional levels, and include increased institutional reporting of teacher candidates' test scores, the mandate for Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT) in the No Child Left…

In examining recruitment and retention of teachers in rural areas, David Monk begins by noting the numerous possible characteristics of rural communities--small size, sparse settlement, distance from population concentrations, and an economic reliance on agricultural industries that are increasingly using seasonal and immigrant workers to minimize…

This study used data from the ongoing Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study to examine college graduates' preparation for and entry into teaching, as well as their movement into and out of the profession over time. Text, seven figures, and 15 tables detail the data on the "teacher pipeline"; examine who enters it (such as…