Presents conclusions about school failure in European countries reached by the European Symposium on School Failure. The conclusions focus on the conceptualization of school failure, acceptance of the problem by governments, frequently adopted solutions, more coherent solutions, and implications for teacher education (prerequisites, the…

High-stakes standardized testing cannot be considered a reform tool for increasing student achievement. Teaching quality is critical in student achievement. Teachers can become powerful agents in raising students' academic achievement levels, regardless of common barriers (e.g., poverty and bilingualism). The extreme focus on high-stakes testing…

The evaluation and professional development of teachers and administrators are two sides of the same coin. Both are the essential currency schools have to improve teachers' practice and students' learning, but schools often spend this currency unwisely. Too often, evaluations are a source of tension and conflict, even a necessary evil.…

A study of 28 school districts in Rhode Island was done in 1992 to examine the hypothesis that there is a positive correlation between teacher salaries and state aid. The study was originally designed to gather information about teacher salaries and the variables related to them, but was expanded to cover student outcomes and variables related to…

The School Improvement Through Instructional Process (SITIP) Program, initiated in Maryland in 1980, was concerned with improving classroom and school activities through the application of process-product research on classroom and school effectiveness. All 24 local education agencies voluntarily implemented one or more of four research-based…

This publication reviews research findings related to the verbal questioning behaviors and practices of teachers. It emphasizes current research related to the impact of questioning practices on student thinking, achievement, and attitudes. This includes questioning techniques and strategies and approaches to analyzing classroom questions. A list…

High quality instructional supervision can be provided when educational objectives have been stated clearly and a strong staff development program has been instituted. The success of the staff development program used in the Newport News (Virginia) Public Schools is dependent on several prerequisites: the existence of clearly established district…

A random half of the instructors of an introductory course in computer programming were given feedback from students' evaluations of instructional effectiveness conducted at the middle of the term. The impact of the feedback was assessed against three criteria: (1) change in students' evaluations between mid-quarter and end-of-quarter; (2)…

Several beliefs about the teacher expectancy effect are false or half-truths. Current interest in the teacher expectation effect began with the publication in 1968 of Rosenthal and Jacobson's book, "Pygmalion in the Classroom". That book stated that a teacher's expectations for a pupil's achievement function as a self-fulfilling prophecy.…

Discusses several research studies that relate directly to elementary school science inservice education projects. Studies reviewed focus on metric achievement; year-long projects; one-day projects; minicourses; curriculum changes; and periodic maintenance. Also cites criticisms of existing programs and qualities an effective inservice program…

Inservice teacher training in economics improved the achievement scores of participating teachers and their students. In addition, as their achievement scores improved, both teachers and students developed more positive opinions about economics. (Author/RM)

Standards-based professional development can have a positive effect on classroom practice, particularly in terms of reform-oriented practices. It can also have a positive effect on student achievement. But the research is very mixed. Research/evaluation designs cannot always attribute effects to a specific professional development opportunity,…

This paper evaluates whether or not there is a direct academic-achievement benefit from additional expenditures on education in the United States. Numerous critics have said that education is already overfunded and that it can never be funded enough to make any appreciable difference. Berliner's study of 900 school districts in Texas in the 1993…

This report provides information on how federal funding is being used to reduce class size and to spur academic achievement in U.S. urban schools, focusing on the federal Class Size Reduction Program signed into law in 1998. Data from surveys of 40 members of the Council of the Great City Schools, a coalition of the U.S.'s largest urban public…

Explains the reasons why Japanese teachers seem to attain such high levels of performance as evidenced by the achievement of Japanese students in comparative international studies. Evidence is presented from background papers and case-site studies from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. It reveals Japan's highly competitive…