Much research has been done on the development of an intelligent tutoring system (ITS), and small empirical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of ITS at promoting student learning. However, large-scale implementation of ITS in school settings has not been researched thoroughly. In this paper, we describe an ongoing randomized controlled…

A study gathered detailed baseline data on Indiana secondary (grades 7-12) social studies teachers use of the Internet/WWW in their teaching. An additional goal was to identify factors that might be related to the use of the Internet in Indiana social studies classrooms and to determine barriers that might keep teachers from using the Internet/WWW…

Findings are reported from a statewide survey of middle and junior high schools in Wisconsin. The study had two major purposes: (1) to determine the extent to which the clinical supervision cycle was a component of staff development programs; and (2) to identify characteristics of existing clinical supervision practices within staff development…

A study was conducted concerning the development, implementation, and evaluation of a preservice teacher field practicum for a content area reading course. The evaluation includes supervising and preservice teachers' survey results identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the field placement. Survey participants included 11 students enrolled in…

Nonresponse issues are investigated for the base year (1988) survey of the United States Department of Education's National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), a national probability sample of middle schools and eighth-grade students in the spring of 1988. The total eighth-grade enrollment for the NELS:88 sample of schools was 203,002;…

Current science assessments in use in the states were studied, and the extent to which these assessments meet the goals of reform of science education specified by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) was investigated. These goals were identified by the AAAS in "Project 2061: Science for All Americans?" Data…

A prevailing assumption underlying statewide performance-based assessments is that they not only serve as motivators in improving student achievement and learning, they also encourage instructional strategies and techniques in the classroom that are more consistent with reform-oriented educational outcomes. Given these high expectations, more…

A survey of 71 elementary school and 39 middle school principals in Bronx County, New York, was designed to compare their knowledge and attitudes regarding placement of handicapped children in the most appropriate least restrictive environment and to examine the effects of experience and background on their knowledge and attitudes. The principals…

An exploratory study examined children's self reports of media habits and academic performance. Chosen by a sample of convenience, 20 children between the ages of 8 and 14 years old (all residents of Indiana or Ohio) expressed that increased time with media takes away time spent studying. Many view media as a distraction to completing homework,…

This study examines the underlying structure of the teacher language arts and science questionnaires from a project studying the impact of the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP). The dimensions of the questionnaire concerning practices and attitudes related to the MSPAP were studied, as well as the extent to which the on-grade…

Organizational, curriculum, and staff utilization patterns of New England middle schools were explored in this study. Fifteen percent of the 315 New England middle schools were randomly selected and questionnaires were sent to their 46 principals. There were twelve major findings concerning organizational patterns including the fact that…

This study reported how four science teachers used action research to promote their students' motivation in learning physical science. Four teachers with one of their 8th grade physical science classes participated in the study. A combination of qualitative and quantitative research design were used in the study, and data collection included…

Researchers designed and piloted a questionnaire that measures the level of implementation of exemplary middle school practices (based on the work of P. George and W. Alexander, 1993) using Rasch measurement theory. Assistant principals (n=26) participated in telephone interviews by responding to a 27-item questionnaire that contains items…

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 with hierarchical linear modeling, this study identified individual-level and school-level variables influencing the decision to drop out of middle school. At the individual level, grade retention is the single most powerful predictor. (SLD)

The impact of surface and reflective teaching and learning on students' academic success was studied with 178 students in grades 6 through 8 at a middle school in Tennessee. Students were surveyed to determine their experiences in the classroom with regard to surface or reflective teaching in their Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social…