UNESCO nations were surveyed about education of gifted children. Developed nations' programs were most extensive, Communist countries were wary of elitism, and developing nations had more pressing concerns. Nations had difficulties with identifying "gifted" students, funding, and finding qualified teachers, but commitment to programs for…

To determine whether academically able teachers are more likely than others to leave the classroom, a study was conducted of the data file of all certified regular classroom teachers who entered teaching in North Carolina from 1973 to 1980 and had no prior teaching experience. (Author/WD)

A national study sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education indicates that school-based reform is no guarantee of improved learning opportunities. Schools with the most promising reform efforts set attainable reform goals with long timelines; focus explicitly on particular aspects of curriculum while targeting related professional development…

A 1988 Johns Hopkins University survey of 1,753 principals from public schools serving seventh graders describes middle grade education in the United States. The 5 articles in this special section are intended to encourage discussion about ways to improve middle level educational practices and disclose new research directions. (MLH)

Prayer at school-sponsored events became significant issue in many communities, in wake of Supreme Court's decision in "Lee v. Weisman.""Phi Delta Kappan" survey was conducted to discover how school districts handled graduation prayer. Of 1,491 responding districts, 46% included some form of prayer at formal commencement…

According to the 26th annual Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup Poll, the growth of fighting/violence/gangs and poor discipline are the most serious problems facing today's schools. Parents rate their community schools highly but assign only passing grades to the nation's schools. Most favor character education and President Clinton's education initiatives…

Recent survey of time usage in restructuring schools disclosed five time-management strategies, including freed-up time (temporary interventions freeing teachers from scheduling constraints), restructured or rescheduled time, common time (for teacher planning and preparation), better-used time (to replace faculty meetings and professional…

Illustrates some problems associated with the statistics used in popular statistical reports. (Author/DW)

A survey of Wisconsin school districts showed that teacher resignation rates were quite low. Smaller districts faced the highest number of resignations. Resigning teachers tended to be rated by their supervisors as above average. The study results suggest that fears of "teacher flight" may be exaggerated. (PGD)

Researchers asked 316 public school parents how they would respond if government money, such as a tuition tax credit, was provided to help send their children to private schools. Results suggest that if tuition tax credits are made available, the public school population will tend to shift further toward lower-income families. (MJL)

Reports results from the 1984 survey, which found Americans respond more favorably to public schools than at any time in the past decade. Survey results show that they also feel education contributes more to national strength than industrial or military power. (MD)

A national survey measures and reports the attitudes of the public toward the public schools in 1970. (Author)

Reports the results of a survey of the practices of 78 Michigan colleges and universities in awarding and transferring credit for nontraditional or experiential learning. (WD)

Teaching and instruction are the prime mission of schools of education, with research occupying a position of approximately equal stature only in the research center institutions. Other mission areas are perceived by faculty as not central to schools of education. (Author)

Faced with increased responsibilities, little social status, modest salaries, and leaner materials budgets, teachers contribute significant amounts of their own money (perhaps $1 billion yearly) for instructional purposes. A southern Minnesota study found that a typical teacher spent about $492 yearly to enrich students' learning experience. Such…