In this book, information is provided to assist student teachers in planning and implementing lessons, at the secondary school level, through the use of advance organizers. Advance organizers are described as a form of mediating response which precedes a major learning task and provides meaning, structure, and organization to the task and links…

This coding manual was developed for the Texas Teacher Effectiveness Study and is intended to be self-contained. The coding system provides for extensive coding of student initiated questions and comments, opinion questions, and expanded private work contracts, both teacher initiated and student initiated, including extensive coding of quality and…

Alternative theoretical approaches influencing the research design of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study are discussed. One line of research used an Experimental Teaching Unit (ETU) to create a semi-standardized situation for comparison of teachers. Though this approach introduces a uniformity which appears to increase comparability, it is at…

Guidelines for the development of programs for trainable mentally retarded children are presented. Major task areas identified are the family group, communication skills, physical development, socialization, recreational interests and skills, and preparation for work oriented activity. Six papers are presented: precision teaching and behavior…

An experiment with 17 teachers of first-year high school French recruited from the staffs of three large, diversified San Jose, California school districts was designed to (1) observe closely the classroom behaviors of the participating teachers, (2) identify those successful in terms of pupil achievement, and (3) compare the behaviors and…

This document is the report of a 3-year project designed to improve and expand foreign language study for elementary and secondary school students through the development of a variety of assessment tools. It is organized into four main sections: an overview of the project; assessment; articulation; and what has been learned. Teams of North…

This bulletin is an examination of the practices and procedures for the administration of a merit salary policy as part of the teacher compensation program. It analyzes the procedures for the implementation of a merit salary policy in six school districts which are prominent examples in this field: Canton, Connecticut; Ladue, Missouri; Rich…

Chapters in this collection on college faculty motivation and teaching effectiveness include: "The Meaning of Human Motivation" (Charles J. Walker and Cynthia Symons); "Wanting to Be a Good Teacher: What Have We Learned To Date?" (Wilbert J. McKeachie); "Beyond Male Theory: A Feminist Perspective on Teaching…

The paper discusses dilemmas in doing research on the kinds of teachers who are effective with Eskimo and Indian children in isolated, rural Alaska communities. Issues discussed are identification of effective cross-cultural teachers by a "multiple hurdle" technique; criteria that 228 teachers, 29 administrators, and 40 community members…

The research design is described for the study of instructional time, conducted as part of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study. The premise of the study was that certain teacher behaviors are related to student achievement; however, if all teacher behaviors are equal, the students who spend the greatest amount of time in learning activities…

Achievement tests that are maximally sensitive to effective instruction in reading and mathematics for grades 2 and 5 were developed and refined. Important considerations regarding the tests' validity were: its coverage of instructional content (opportunity to learn), and its reactivity to instruction. Student ability must be minimally related to…

The stability of classroom behavior is examined from several perspectives: (1) the relative consistency of teacher behavior in two different sections of the same course taught concurrently; (2) the relative consistency of student behavior in math and English classes attended concurrently; and (3) differences in student and teacher behavior in math…

Examples are cited of educational research and development findings that have specific implications for improving classroom management and school effectiveness in a comprehensive educational program. Described is the West Virginia Department of Education's current use of research on brain growth as one basis for realigning the curriculum. Patterns…

Brief, two-page abstracts are provided for 15 educational topics of interest to community college faculty, administrators, and staff. Each abstract is coded to indicate intended audience, subject category, and level of concern. The topics covered by the abstracts are: (1) five major components of teacher evaluation; (2) writing an abstract; (3)…

A study tested the effects of two systems of supervisory techniques--product specification and process specification--on the success of beginning teachers of vocational agriculture. (Product specification is based on supervision-by-objectives, a student-centered emphasis. Process specification is based on management of the teacher and his/her…