This paper explores the reform content and specific teacher learning conditions that enabled teachers at an urban California elementary school to find ways to examine the effects of their practices on students and to reflect on the values and beliefs underlying their practices. Over 5 years, a professional culture of inquiry developed, as required…

An instrument to evaluate the effectiveness of constructivist teaching methods, the Constructivist Teaching Inventory (CTI), was developed and assessed, the assessment focusing on the validity and reliability of the instrument. A pool of items measuring the presence of identified elements of constructivist teaching was developed; items were…

Value profiles of successful teachers at different levels and geographical locations have significant differences and similarities: suburban and inner city" teachers in general have similar value orientations as compared with elementary and secondary school teachers. (Author/JM)

In this paper, we draw from a narrative life history approach to report in depth on the experiences of one teacher, Shagufta, in a high-poverty urban elementary school in Lahore, Pakistan. The purpose of reporting Shagufta's story is twofold. First, we want to make sense of her role as a science teacher--what should the children in her school…

Urban schools have the greatest need for renewal of existing staff and the infusion of new teachers. Unfortunately, they present a challenging environment in which to prepare teachers while fostering the renewal process in experienced teachers. Goodlad (1994) proposes that both the school and university embark upon this renewal process through…

The two city districts that made the greatest strides in math on the latest national assessment relied on similar strategies: building students' conceptual math skills and investing in professional development in that subject for elementary and middle school teachers. While administrators in Boston and San Diego say that many factors were at work…

In special education, professional collaboration is viewed as a powerful tool for helping teachers serve students with disabilities. An underlying assumption is that general educators will improve practice if they have opportunities to participate in collaborative professional development aimed at improving instruction for students with…

This study examined the impact of the 3-year implementation of a professional development intervention on science achievement of culturally and linguistically diverse elementary students. Teachers were provided with instructional units and workshops that were designed to improve teaching practices and foster positive beliefs about science and…

At present, there is a lack of information about how teacher-friendly or sustainable opportunity to learn (OTL) assessment strategies are when used in classrooms. This paper describes the results of a national survey of classroom teachers who teach in large urban school districts, districts that are members of the Council of Great City Schools.…

Examines several basic political attitudes held by a sample of urban and rural public school teachers of different racial compositions. Concludes that teachers' political attitudes are supportive of the social order, and that there is a striking uniformity in their attitudes. (Author/AM)

This document reports on the qualities of a good urban teacher as perceived by urban early childhood and elementary school teachers in 1988. A review of the educational literature indicates that the characteristics of good teaching reflected the time period in which the teachers lived and were prepared. This study focused on preschool, substitute,…

THE CURRENT INSTITUTE PROGRAM EVOLVED FROM A TRANSLATION OF FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS OF THE TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS DEVELOPED BY BANK STREET COLLEGE. THE PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL METHOD WAS BASED UPON THE PREMISES THAT INTELLECTUAL FUNCTIONING IS LIMITED BY PARTICULAR PATTERNS OF EMOTIONAL RESPONSE AND THAT THESE COGNITIVE FACTORS INTERACT TO SUPPORT OR…

Using multiple longitudinal data from Chicago, Illinois, public elementary schools, this study identifies correlates of student achievement through multiple linear regression. The study combines the approach taken in large-scale correlational studies of school achievement with a study of the variables identified in effective schools research. It…

The Educational Priorities Panel carried out a study of the first year of the class size reduction program for grades K-3 in the New York City public schools by visiting five schools throughout the city and interviewing the principal and at least two teachers involved in implementing the program at each school. In all, 17 interviews were…