ACT conducts the only nationwide curriculum survey that empirically identifies current instructional practices and postsecondary expectations in order to develop tests that measure critical skills and knowledge. Every three years, it surveys thousands of middle school/junior high school, secondary, and postsecondary teachers in English/writing,…

This policy paper summarizes the research on change and effective staff development to drive an outcomes-based, results oriented approach to increase student success. The paper provides a discussion of the following ideas necessary for practice: (1) participants must be involved in planning and developing training; (2) training must be relevant,…

Originally published in 1984, this book has been re-issued with a new and timely introduction and an index. Its six chapters provide a framework for viewing schools and teachers' roles within those schools and serve as a springboard for discussion about how to restructure schools and in what direction. Chapter 1, "The Social Realities of…

A preliminary report on changes in Pennsylvania State University's College of Education program for secondary teachers is given through essays written by faculty members. Two papers on theoretical models explore the basis for implementing changes in teacher education programs. An analysis of five stages in the development of novice teachers is…

THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY WERE--(1) TO IDENTIFY NON-RANDOM CHANGE IN THE VERBAL PATTERNS OF STUDENT TEACHERS OF SECONDARY SCIENCE WHO WERE TRAINED IN THE FLANDERS SYSTEM OF INTERACTION ANALYSIS, (2) TO RELATE THESE CHANGES TO THE VERBAL PATTERNS EXHIBITED BY THE COOPERATING TEACHERS INVOLVED, AND (3) TO COMPARE THE RESULTS WITH THOSE OF…

Education in and through agriculture is attracting the attention and interest of teachers in schools of all grades and of many people, both in the country and in the city. Only within recent years have agriculture and allied subjects come to be an important part of the courses of study in elementary and secondary schools and in normal schools…

The whole problem of secondary education, both as to aims and as to methods, is now undergoing investigation. The demands for the readjustment of the work of the high school are insistent. This bureau has no specialists in secondary education and is unable to respond as it should to the many requests for information in regard to the trend of…

This paper highlights four books that examine issues related to public schools: who public schools belong to, why Americans fund public education, and what is public about it. The paper discusses the major themes of the books, noting existence of a general sense that education matters. (SM)

This study compared the affective attributes of 1990's preservice teachers with those of 1980's preservice teachers. Surveys examined concerns, teaching attitudes, teaching anxiety, confidence, and academic ability. The 1990's students were as academically capable as their 1980's counterparts, with similar or more desirable affective attributes.…

This study examined minority and mainstream teacher candidates' views on teaching as a profession and career. Interviews and surveys indicated that both groups were concerned with professional status, proud of becoming teachers, and worried about teaching conditions. Minority students were more affected by the low professional status of teaching…

San Francisco teachers and principals in low-performing schools receive one chance to repair things and are removed if they fail. Many closed schools have reopened with new staff. The paper describes school takeovers, discussing advantages and disadvantages of the method and opinions of various school officials and teachers. (SM)

One of five articles in the section on the "Promise and Purpose of Professional Development Schools," this article examines challenges that arise when preservice teacher education occurs mainly within professional development schools (PDS). Suggests that for PDS to promote reform, partners must set aside preconceived notions and share in decision…

This study examined the impact of Scotland's national curriculum for students ages 5-14 on: teachers' constructs of their teaching, assumptions about students' learning, and interpretations of and accommodations for student differences. Observations and interviews indicated that teachers had not internalized distinctive curriculum features in…

Overcoming obstacles to teacher research about their own educational practices requires the formation of intellectual communities of teacher-researchers or networks of teachers. An analytic framework is presented for interpreting and evaluating the work of such groups according to how they use time, talk, construct texts, and interpret teaching…

Compares two groups of high school social studies teachers to determine how their attitudes and beliefs about instruction inform their practice in promoting higher order thinking among students. Measures teacher performance across 10 dimensions of classroom thoughtfulness based on Fred Newmann's work. Finds an important link between teachers'…