The "hard" use of authority to produce change confronts obstacles that transcend administrative strategies. This article presents a conceptual analysis of authority and its constraints and shows how current conceptions of democracy, evaluation, and authority are interdependent. (CB)

Background/Context: The analysis contained in this article was commissioned by the Social Science Research Council's Transitions to College project. Although the historical context and contemporary issues associated with English learners (ELs) and undocumented immigrant students are in many ways distinct, the project team strongly believed that…

The degree to which, and ways in which, the structure and organization of relationships in public school systems allow individual teachers to perform effectively are analyzed. Responses from 1,789 teachers to a nationwide survey are discussed. (MT)

This study was conducted in a lighthouse school with a long and successful history of restructuring. In this article we describe our (surprising) impressions of shadowing Jake, one of the highest achieving students in the school. We present a researcher's account of Jake's classroom experience over the first four periods of a single day and an…

Increased use of high-stakes testing has been accompanied by an expansion of summer school programming. Few investigations focus on student experience within these programs. Using multiple methods, we examined how low-performing students attending the Chicago Public Schools' Summer Bridge program perceived their summer learning environments.…

Background/Context: Recent research indicates that social studies is being "squeezed" from the elementary curriculum as instructional time is shifted to language arts and mathematics in response to state testing and the federal No Child Left Behind Act, especially in schools serving poor students and students of color. However, less is…

Background/Context: This study is based on prior research regarding the need for explicit social instruction for children with special needs, cooperative educational models, and the goals and relative successes of inclusive educational practices. The author refers to several studies on these subjects, including those by Kavale and Forness; Salend;…

Ways in which institutions may either foster or frustrate the kinds of beliefs and attitudes conducive to self-respect and self-esteem are explored. Patterns of authority in the schools of a democratic society must be examined with this fact in mind and shaped in ways that most fully develop the self-respect and self-esteem of all students. (CB)

This article calls attention to developmental and home conditions that affect the development of good work habits through homework. The first section examines recent studies that have alluded to the possibility of developing good work habits through family involvement with secondary school homework. The second section describes two survey studies,…

Increasing availability of funds for development, design, and evaluation of alternative learning environments has challenged educational researchers to develop and validate innovative and effective interventions. The focus on accountability has resulted in an accelerated effort to record events, activities, and participation in substantive ways…

Many guidelines for school improvement have emerged from recent research and experience. The connected issues of school improvement and staff development are explored. Guidance for staff development as a part of school improvement is delineated. (DF)

Eduard Lindeman's book, "The Meaning of Adult Education," and its continued importance in higher education is discussed. Lindeman's thoughts on adult education and its social function and aesthetic relevance are explored. The use of discussion groups as a method of educational discourse is advocated. (DF)

Focuses on professional practice schools as contexts for the continuing professional development of experienced inservice teachers. A framework for developing a culture of inquiry in a school is provided, appropriate professional growth activities are considered, and problems and dilemmas associated with teacher development in professional…

Research universities make enormous social contributions in areas like medicine and science, but many habits (racism, sexism, funding old projects) must change to encourage social research and reform. Public education needs restructuring with a commitment to disadvantaged students to ensure the country's future. (SM)

Investigated mathematics teacher practices that contributed to classroom psychological environments on the first days of school. Student and teacher data indicated that teachers' early classroom environments were either: supportive, nonsupportive, or ambiguous. Teachers' motivational and organizational discourse patterns near the end of the year…