The purpose of this study was to examine the literature to find out if the recommendation by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) that mathematics education should focus on problem-solving in the 1980s was being implemented or had caused any changes in the approach to teaching mathematics in the school curriculum. The study also…

A consortium of 15 Nebraska colleges of education was established to provide collaborative means for examining significant research for teacher education, to share information about programs and activities, and to provide a support network as the institutions work on program improvement. A description is given of the formation of the Consortium…

This issue of Research and Educational Practice Improvement Notes discusses three recent studies on schooling: (1) "Changing Our Schools; The Realities," by Kenneth Tye; (2) "Innovation Up Close: A Field Study in Twelve School Settings," Volume Four of a study conducted by David P. Crandall and associates; and (3)…

In order for education to evolve from a craft to a profession, a spirit of inquiry must be infused into the beliefs and activities of education faculty members and practicing teachers. For faculty members in professional schools, the responsibilities of teaching, research, and service should be integrated activities for which inquiry serves as the…

An effective environmental scan will improve the quality of community college planning and decision making by alerting institutional leaders to the challenges and opportunities in the environment. Scanning can be done in three ways: (1) establishing a scanning committee to gather and synthesize information to guide planning; (2) sponsoring a…

Attitudes toward research-based effective teaching behaviors were inventoried to explore differences between teachers, principals, college faculty, and undergraduate education students (N=500). Scores from the Teaching Behaviors Questionnaire (TBQ) were analyzed using analysis of variance and a post hoc comparison procedure. The scores indicated…

As educators across the nation launch into frenzied efforts to "do something" in response to the various recommendations of commissions on educational excellence, many are forgetting that knowledge of how to implement change is available. This paper focuses on three concerns that educators must face when fitting general recommendations…

It is suggested in this paper that practical arguments can be used in teacher education and staff development programs to introduce teachers to research-based practices. Practical arguments consist of three types of premises--value, empirical, and situational--that conclude with an action, or an intention to act. Such arguments are a useful way to…

This paper describes a study which explored the variables of teacher knowledge of content, teacher attitude toward the content, and span of time with regard to implementation of selected teaching practices in the elementary classroom. The 32 elementary classroom teachers who comprised the sample received 2 days of training in instructional…

Influences on sex equity in mathematics achievement are discussed in this summary of research and recommendations. Information on the following topics is presented, with each finding referenced to a source or sources in the bibliography provided at the end of the report: mathematics enrollment, influences on mathematics participation, predicting…

The Focus on Teacher Project worked in the field of primary teacher staff development. Its aim was to produce, from a platform of school-based research, INSET materials to suppport improvement in primary classroom teaching. The focus was specifically on teaching, rather than on other aspects of a teacher's professional work. The materials to be…

This paper presents a model for turning research findings into prescriptions for practical action. The model contains the following five interactive elements: (1) clear, understandable research knowledge; (2) relevant knowledge, which is seen as meaningful to normal life and concerns; (3) images of actions which exemplify the knowledge; (4) a will…

The theoretical fields of adult developmental psychology and andragogy provide some principles or rules for action that may lead to useful improvements in course organization and teaching methodology. An analysis of the principles and the likely effects of their implementation has led to the following speculation: principles that are not likely to…

When a school system chooses to buy into modern computer technology as the way to solve some existing problems and to meet pressing needs, a myriad of new problems and issues are created. However, the new problems are worth solving to allow the system to benefit from the new technology. In other words, the conversion to using the latest computer…

In 1976 and 1977, the New York region team of the Documentation and Technical Assistance Project (DTA), Center for New Schools (Chicago, Illinois), conducted 12 seminars on major issues concerning school improvement, based on observations by documentation teams in nine school community sites. The information is then disseminated to technical…