Describes the underlying philosophical and cultural changes associated with classroom organizational changes in one eighth-grade teacher's attempts to implement National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards. Observations and interviews indicated that there were two distinct cultures ("book world" and organic or…

Looks at how technology has changed an eighth-grade teacher's world of teaching and learning in a variety of ways, including: professional growth; connecting the writing process with word processing; presentation of information (such as short story elements or parts of speech); research on and access to the Internet; electronic literary magazines…

Patterns of consumption and production are not sustainable in developed/developing countries. In developed countries, the levels of pollution, especially those causing global change, are far too high and trends go in the wrong direction. In developing countries, there is too much strain on the local resource base, and this strain is increasing due…

In early May 2002, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released a study of U.S. history achievement among fourth, eight, and twelfth graders, finding that nearly 60 percent of high school senior test-takers failed to demonstrate basic knowledge of U.S. history. Although the hand-wringing has begun about what "must be done" to…

This article addresses some important issues in mathematics instruction at the middle and secondary levels, including the structuring of a district's mathematics program; the choice of textbooks and use of calculators in the classroom; the need for more rigorous lesson planning practices; and the dangers of teaching to standardized tests rather…

Issues in the study of friendship across cultures were explored by reviewing a set of studies focusing on the friendships of Indonesian and United States youth. Four topics are considered: similarity of friendships across cultures, dimensions of friendships that vary across cultures, the utility of the individualism/collectivism dimension for…

The voices of students, as they share their lived experiences in school, provide an often missing perspective in the preparation of new teachers. As part of a research study that examined students' views on their educational experiences, particularly on the types of teachers and pedagogical practices that they perceived to be most beneficial to…

The Minnesota Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Plus project augmented the DARE curriculum with community, parent involvement, and extracurricular activity components. Of the 24 schools in the DARE Plus project, the 8 receiving the DARE Plus intervention are examined in this study. The association of participation in the extracurricular…

This article reports findings from a study that investigated math achievement differences between English language learners (ELLs) and fully English proficient (FEP) students on a literacy-based performance assessment (LBPA). It has been assumed that LBPAs are superior to standardized multiple-choice assessments, but it has not been determined if…

Maine is the first state to deliver "anytime, anywhere learning" to schools by providing laptop computers to every 7th and 8th grader in public schools statewide. It's an unprecedented attempt by a state to be a catalyst for school technology. The brainchild of then-Governor Angus King, the Independent who herded it through the…

Summarizes National Assessment of Educational Progress findings regarding the reading proficiency of students in Catholic and public schools in fourth, eighth, and eleventh grades. Contrasts results in terms of family background and social status, school characteristics, and behavior associated with academic performance. (DMM)

Information is provided on results from the Second International Mathematics Study conducted in 1981-82 in 236 eighth-grade classrooms in the United States. Content taught, teacher characteristics, types of instruction, attitudes, knowledge, and comparisons with students in other countries are discussed. (MNS)

Grade level and sex differences in attitudes to English, mathematics, social studies and art were explored among a sample of students in grades 7 through 10. Student attitudes generally were most favorable toward English, then toward mathematics, social studies, and (least favorable) art. (Author/MLW)

Although self-esteem and locus of control orientation differ for American Indian and White children at all educational levels, internality increases with age and is positively related to self-esteem for both groups. American Indian students have a more external orientation and lower self-esteem than White students. (SB)

A British university-initiated action research project emphasized development and evaluation of strategies for enhancing eighth graders' self-regulated learning. Case studies indicated the project had limited success in impacting teaching strategies and curriculum development, and the National Curriculum did nothing to increase the likelihood of…