This brief is a summary of "Increasing the Application of Developmental Sciences Knowledge in Educator Preparation: Policy Issues and Recommendations" by Robert C. Pianta, Randy Hitz and Blake West. It includes highlights and policy recommendations contained in that paper. This brief argues that teachers and education administrators need…

This is the second of two reports commissioned by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) intended to address the dire need for teacher preparation policy and programs to reflect recent advances in scientific knowledge of child and adolescent development. In the first report, "Principles and Exemplars for…

Cooperative learning is an instructional method designed to teach students to work together in small, structured, heterogeneous teams to achieve a common goal. The Performer and Coach Earn Rewards (PACER) system is a new way to incorporate cooperative learning in the gymnasium. It consists of six components that help teachers to introduce new…

With the enactment of the NCLB mandates, emphasis on high-stakes testing became more prevalent than ever. Some argue that high-stakes tests can be a driving force behind fundamental change in schools. Whether or not this type of test-driven change leads to school improvement is an empirical question. What we do know is that high-stake testing can…

This study examined practices of teachers in Wake County Public Schools' (WCPSS) middle school Algebra I classes. Regression analyses of standardized state testing results allowed for identification of the most effective and least effective Algebra I teachers. The study used surveys, observations, and focus group interviews to compare and contrast…

It is important to be able to describe instructional practices accurately in order to support research on "what works" in education and professional development as a basis for efforts to improve practice. This report describes a project to develop procedures for characterizing classroom practices in mathematics and science on the …

The present study was aimed to assess the teachers' encouragement in the classroom for the promotion of students' creativity. A survey method was used for the present research with a sample of 373 subjects from ninth class. For collection of data four instruments were used, namely Student Information Sheet (SIS), two tests of "Creative…

In a brief chapter treating of the progress and status of education in the cities of the country it is impossible to treat all of the phases of modern city school systems with their regular day schools, night schools, continuation schools, special schools, clinics, etc. Some of these phases are discussed in other chapters of the "Biennial Survey…

This bulletin discusses public education in the cities of the United States. Part I, Larger Cities, includes the following sections: (1) Introductory; (2) Americanization; (3) Elimination of German and the teaching of foreign languages; (4) Junior high schools; (5) Vocational education; (6) The Gary School; (7) Military training in the schools;…