Researchers and practitioners need to exchange information in order for education research to become more useful. Practitioners need to develop more understanding of research and how to interpret its findings in light of local conditions. The What Works Clearinghouse, a project of the Institute for Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of…

Describes the learning community model that involves teachers in an ongoing process of developing and refining curriculum. Through the sharing of information teachers improve their classroom practices and are more accountable for what they teach. (MD)

Because past educational reform movements were stimulated by events not directly related to schools, the movements' leaders have lacked dependable information about schools' actual effectiveness. This article faults past commissions for their omissions and impractical solutions. Real school improvement happens when school staff and parents…

Outlines a fictitious but ideal school in which staff work cooperatively and are encouraged to develop their talents. (MD)

The pursuit of knowledge should include collegial relationships between faculty and students that allow collaboration in the process of inquiry. A graduate student laments how little of this happens in graduate school. (MD)

Summarizes, from a teacher's viewpoint, the benefits of cooperative learning, including increased achievement and improvement of students' attitudes toward school, learning, and each other. Outlines five simple steps for teaching cooperation skills, describes two successful group activities, and shares student reactions to these exercises.…

Just because teacher educators have more letters after their names is no reason they shouldn't find ways to continue interacting with children. In this article the author shares his thoughts on the matter and offers suggestions for how faculty members can maintain firsthand experience in the schools.

Teachers and administrators in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, received inservice training to prepare them for participation in a widely appreciated supervisory relationship that grants teachers professional respect and reserves formal evaluation for teachers who are clearly failing to meet objectives cited in their personal professional growth plans. (PGD)

Parent participation in elementary school classrooms provides teachers with a valuable and varied resource, but also requires deeper teacher involvement in students' private lives and skill in managing time. The growth of a parent participation program in Salt Lake City, Utah, proves such programs can succeed. (PGD)

The National Governors' Association Task Force on Technology decided that schools have not generally become more productive through use of technology. Key recommendations center on encouraging educational technology demonstrations in schools, sponsoring research and development, supporting the creation of marketing mechanisms, and encouraging…

Offers an update on global education programs from around the world, in the hope that American educators will seek dialogue with their international peers. (Author/MLF)

Discusses three goals of character development for elementary school children: promoting (1) cooperative relationships and mutual respect; (2) moral agency; and (3) a moral community based on fairness, caring, and participation. Explores teaching strategies for building self-esteem and fostering cooperation, moral reflection, and participative…

In recent years a growing number of state boards of education have established mechanisms to ensure dialog between public school policymakers and their nonpublic school counterparts. Outlines the methods used in four states: Florida, Louisiana, New York, and Ohio. (MD)

Describes the Southwest Texas Program for Improving Basic Skills Instruction in the Secondary Schools. It promotes a thoughtful, inquiry-oriented dialog between a university and six participating schools that encourages teachers to become more effective decision-makers. (MD)

By 1985, this article reports, up to 40 states will require some form of teacher recertification. Based on a survey of state education departments and colleges of education, data are presented on recertification, and provisions for district-planned preparation, in the 50 states. (MCG)