Students do not always make choices that adults agree with in their choice of school dress. Dress-code issues are explored in this Research Roundup, and guidance is offered to principals seeking to maintain a positive school climate. In "Do School Uniforms Fit?" Kerry White discusses arguments for and against school uniforms and summarizes the…

This digest reviews what instructional designers do, describes knowledge management, and indicates how knowledge management is influencing instructional design. The first section defines instructional design (ID) and briefly describes the ID process. The second section covers knowledge management (KM), including definitions of KM and systems,…

Developed to highlight the interrelationships between and among science, technology, society, and the environment, this guide offers educators ideas and activities, and identifies resources for instruction at the elementary and secondary school level. Introductory comments explain and support the role and importance of environmental education in…

This paper utilizes knowledge gained from work on future issues related to families, the work of futurists on social trends and technological development, and recent studies in home economics to draw conclusions regarding what people will need to know in the 1980s and beyond to be intelligent consumers and effective homemakers. The first of six…

Teaching styles reflect the beliefs and values that teachers hold about the learners' role in learning; learning styles provide insight into the ways learners perceive, interact with and respond to the environment in which learning occurs. Many teachers teach in the way they were taught which usually can be characterized as field independent…

Critical thinking skills figure prominently among the goals for education proposed by educational researchers, parents, and employers. This digest discusses the skills related to critical thinking and three specific strategies for teaching these skills. The first, Building Categories, is an inductive reasoning tool that helps students categorize…

A good deal of evidence now suggests that a strong sense of community in schools has benefits for both staff members and students, while providing a necessary foundation for school improvement. This digest provides an overview of the literature on schools as communities. The digest identifies the elements of community schools, the effects of…

Questions about gifted readers and how best to teach them have been posed for years and continue to be posed by educators today. A review of current research helps to clarify how to identify gifted readers and what they need in the way of classroom instruction. The general consensus is that reading programs for the gifted should be specialized and…

A review of Knowles' andragogical model (1984) and Pratt's writings (1988) on the appropriateness of learner-centered instruction established that, even though learners may need both direction and support, they can still be involved in designing/directing their own learning in meaningful ways. Adult educators can obtain information about the…

In this issue, two teachers and a principal offer their perspective on classroom practices that can enhance students' learning experiences and keep them motivated and engaged. Ted Nussbaum, a primary teacher at a Eugene, Oregon, school serving primarily at-risk students, shows his enthusiasm and excitement at his students' learning progress, sets…

Noting that transfer and motivation are mutually supportive in creating an optimal learning environment, this Digest discusses transfer (the application of prior knowledge to new learning situations) and motivation (the impetus to create and sustain intentions and goal-seeking acts) in relation to language learning. It discusses the relationship…

Early childhood teachers can help young children develop an awareness of and appreciation for the many kinds of family structures in today's society. This Digest provides suggestions for teachers who may have children in their classroom who were adopted. Strategies include: (1) select curriculum activities and materials that represent diverse…

Strategies for dealing effectively with sexual harassment in the educational organization are presented in this document. Identification of the problem is complex, compounded by the context in which it occurs and different male and female perceptions. One starting point for identification is the 1980 federal guidelines passed by the Equal…

In order for educational reform to be effective and lasting, teacher education must undergo a transformation, from preservice training to lifelong professional development. Tomorrow's teaching environment will bring new challenges and possibilities, as schools undergo curricular, structural, and cultural changes in order to meet the needs of an…

This digest describes a research model that has shown how classroom practice can be developed, transformed, and enriched by drawing on existing "funds of knowledge" in minority students households. Funds of knowledge refers to those historically developed and accumulated strategies (e.g., skills, abilities, ideas, practices) or bodies of…