Computers do not replace the need for students to read good books. However, sharing a book can employ contemporary strategies, such as project-based learning, that provide an exciting balance between traditional teaching and technology tools. Heritage teachers ensure that they do not abandon aspects of traditional skill development as they embrace…

In this study, a variation of the bookmark standard setting procedure for passage-based tests is proposed in which separate ordered item booklets are created for the items associated with each passage. This variation is compared to the traditional bookmark procedure for a fifth-grade reading test. The results showed that the single-passage…

The New Social Studies movement of the 1960s and 1970s represents a significant era of curriculum development and reform in the United States, which had international implications. This article presents an Australian case study of the experiences of curriculum workers involved in the development of an elementary social studies curriculum in the…

Which comprehensive school reform programs have evidence of positive effects on elementary school achievement? To find out, this review summarizes evidence on comprehensive school reform (CSR) models in elementary schools, grades K-6. Comprehensive school reform models are programs used schoolwide to improve student achievement. They typically…

The recent educational transformation in South Africa has created much uncertainty and disquiet among teachers who were required to introduce the educational changes in their classrooms. As "foot soldiers" in education, teachers are the implementers of educational innovations. The advent of outcomes-based education (OBE), like any other…

In this study, we observed and interviewed six teachers from two Singapore primary school classrooms. The schools were reportedly achieving high levels of computer integration as reflected in a nationwide questionnaire survey. Out of the 18 lessons that we observed, 14 lessons have incorporated some elements of constructivist teaching. However,…

The Center for School Success (CSS) at New Visions for Public Schools was founded in 1999 to document and disseminate innovative educational practices demonstrated by New Visions' schools that hold promise for increasing student achievement throughout New York City. Over the first year, CSS concentrated its initial documentation efforts on…

This paper evaluates the effects of federal initiatives in educational technology in elementary and secondary education over the past half-century. While federal resources have been diluted across many programs, this paper focuses on the few initiatives in which the federal role was substantial and integral. The findings from this paper have…

This report, produced jointly by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Center for American Progress, and Frederick M. Hess of the American Enterprise Institute, is a call to action in response to how poorly states measured up on key indicators of educational innovation. The report is the first-ever attempt to evaluate the innovation gap in American…

In this article, the authors describe the outcomes of a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course that offered a pedagogical innovation called "Imagination Quest." This CPD course was a part of a 2-year project entitled Teaching to Reach Potential. Participants were all from Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools' (MCPS')…

In this narrative, Sue Halsey, a New Zealand primary school teacher, taking her cue from Leu and Kinzer (2000), describes her own "envisionment" as she realizes a number of new possibilities for literacy and learning in her classroom utilizing a range of new (including Web2) technologies. In doing so, she mediates between her two…

This article reviews research on the achievement outcomes of three types of approaches to improving elementary mathematics: mathematics curricula, computer-assisted instruction (CAI), and instructional process programs. Study inclusion requirements included use of a randomized or matched control group, a study duration of at least 12 weeks, and…

The study evaluated the current situation in Cyprus elementary classrooms regarding computer technology integration in an attempt to identify ways of expanding teachers' and students' experiences with computer technology. It examined how Cypriot elementary teachers use computers, and the factors that influence computer integration in their…

This article reports a 2-year case study (2003-2005) on teachers' instructional practices, and the impact of teacher understandings and training upon the teachers' implementation of the Communicative Oriented Curriculum (COC) initiative in the context of a major curriculum innovation in teaching English to young learners in Turkish state schools.…

The interactive whiteboard is a relatively new technology in Australian classrooms, especially in early years settings. This article reports on a case study in which an interactive whiteboard was placed in a Prep (Year 0) classroom in a Melbourne primary school. The teacher was then observed by making both audio and video recordings to watch for…