In order to develop a formula to measure effective schooling and student achievement, a number of reports on excellence in education were reviewed: (1) The National Commission on Excellence in Education's report, "A Nation at Risk"; (2) The Education Commission of the States Task Force on Education for Economic Growth report; (3) The…

An extensive literature exists on what makes good teachers, focusing on their characteristics, their behaviors in the classroom, and the effects they have on their students. This literature points to three groups as being currently involved in defining good teachers: students, who, as research demonstrates, are reliable observers, fair and…

Opinions about the conceptual dissertation are offered in seven colloquium papers by educational practitioners/scholars who have finished their dissertations over the past 5 years. Conceptual/interpretive dissertation research issues include finding a consistent language and research rationale for studies. In addition to an introduction by Noreen…

Using Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn," John Knowles'"A Separate Peace," and Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," a study examined the effects of Astute Activities--teaching techniques which increase students' cognitive ability and creativity--on student performance in two senior English classes in a small…

The STOP Abusive Behavior Syndrome (STOP ABS) Project attempts to implement a community-based discipline model for inner-city elementary schools that avoids both physical and emotional abuse by teachers and students, while contributing to the students' overall development. Prevailing disciplinary models either relate to children as objects to be…

This study examines the relationship between selected teacher and student verbal behaviors occuring during social science concept instruction and the residual class mean scores of third, fourth, and fifth grade students on a test of the social science concept specialization. Twenty pre-service teachers and two experienced teachers were the teacher…

This paper presents the results of a study designed to provide an empirical test of a learning theory proposed by McKenzie and Staaf in which the student effort enters as an argument in the learning achievement function. The model states that final achievement in economics is equal to the initial stock of knowledge plus improvement, where…

The paper traces the evolution of career guidance from 1909 to the present. The predominant views before 1950 were almost entirely nondevelopmental, but in response to questions raised at a series of major national conferences in the 1960's and the national impact of the career education concept, the 1970's have seen a flurry of writings and…

This paper describes participant reaction to an informal field test of the Identifying Changes, Exploring Possibilities, and Developing Technology Skills (ICED) Professional Development Model. The theoretical framework for the ICED model is drawn from three sources: (1) literature review of the change process, specifically the adoption of…

Developing the skills necessary to participate in academic discussions is an important goal in many programs of English for academic purposes. However, there has been little empirical investigation into how verbal and nonverbal aspects of discussion abilities might be developed. This paper reports the results of a semester-long effect of…

The reciprocal process of engaging in and learning through work was examined. Reciprocity between how workplaces invite individuals to participate in and learn through work (its invitational qualities) and individuals' engagement in the workplace was proposed as a means of understanding how learning through work proceeds. Workplaces' invitational…

This study is designed to gauge the impact that school reform and restructuring is having on the functions of school counselors. It explores how school counselors will work as the new century begins, and projects how changes in roles and responsibilities may impact school counselor training programs. The Delphi research method was used to forecast…

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) has reemerged as a hot topic in policy debates on educational developments in developing nations. This renewed interest in TVET is motivated by the necessity to address the new economic challenges stemming from recognition of the role of knowledge in economic development and the deep…

In this keynote address, the speaker draws upon his own experiences in education. He begins with his observation that the outcomes of the conference invite change which he applauds. However, he notes that change is always accompanied by fear, and fear has a habit of closing the lid on change. He speculates upon the possibilities were he to have…

Fourteen school-to-work programs characterized by strong work-based learning components and solid employer involvement were examined in a 3-year study to identify pedagogical factors associated with successful work-based learning programs. The main data collection activities were as follows: site visits to the 15 programs to interview faculty,…