Studied the socializing effects of cohort grouping on elementary teacher candidates participating in a curriculum with a collaborative, thematic approach to teacher education. Independently of cohort membership, small class size and the collaborative thematic approach produced a strong socializing effect, but belonging to a cohort resulted in…

The association between many psychosocial factors and risk of suicide was examined. A cohort was conducted over 14 years of follow up among the general population (15,597 people) in Japan. A baseline survey of psychosocial characteristics was conducted by self-administrated questionnaire. The relative risks of occasional emotional stress,…

Of a cohort of 104 children with Autism, PDD-NOS or specific language disorder, recruited at age 2-3 years of age, only three appeared to meet diagnostic assessment criteria for Asperger syndrome (AS). The children were followed up at 4-5 years, and assessments at both time points included the Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI-R), the Autism…

This study contributes to the debate about the Flynn effect by proposing a long-term comparison (1921-2001) of the numerical knowledge of two cohorts of three- to five-and-a-half year-old children. In 1921, Beckmann (1923) assessed the numerical development of children using four tasks (Production, Distinction, Recognition, and Naming). In 2001,…

Kerry and Murdoch (1993), analysing the essential characteristics of leaders and school principals, raised two key questions: (1) What kind of leadership will schools require to help them face the next ten years?; and (2) How equipped are managers in school to provide that leadership? Traditionally, aspiring school principals emerge from the…

This article describes the response of 483 teacher trainees when asked their motivation for undertaking teacher training. There was no predetermined agenda, and the open responses were analysed into six distinct categories covering 93 per cent of responses. These included career-related reasons such as wanting a rewarding and challenging career or…

In this paper, we demonstrate that rapid cycling "Brassica rapa" (Wisconsin Fast Plants) can be used in inquiry-based, student ecological fieldwork. We are the first to describe age-specific survival for field-grown Fast Plants and identify life history traits associated with individual survival. This experiment can be adapted by educators as a…

When Susan Moore Johnson began studying the experiences of new teachers, she wasn't motivated by some mandate about highly qualified professionals or the latest data on turnover. Instead, the Harvard University professor was inspired by watching her own daughter, Erika, grapple with whether to apply to a traditional teacher education program in…

Social promotion has long been the normal practice in American schools. Critics of this practice, whereby students are promoted to the next grade regardless of academic preparation, have suggested that students would benefit academically if they were made to repeat a grade. Supporters of social promotion claim that retaining students disrupts them…

This study examined the transfer trends for, and significant differences between, transfer students who graduated from community college career-oriented programs and students who graduated from liberal arts programs and looked at possible factors which affect these trends and differences. The results indicated students who made better grades in…

More attention and resources have been devoted in recent years to early childhood development (ECD) in low- and middle-income countries. Rigorous studies on the effectiveness of ECD-related programs for improving children's development in various dimensions in the developing world are scant. The authors evaluate an important ECD initiative of the…

The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) collects data on a nationally representative sample of Head Start programs, classrooms, teachers, parents, and children examining the quality and effects of Head Start. Three waves of data collection have occurred: in 1997, 2000, and 2003. Information presented in this publication is…

This chapter presents findings from a national research study with a sample of nearly twenty thousand first-year students on how students' experiences and campus programs affect key academic outcomes of the first year. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

Nationwide, school district administrators are puzzling about how to increase the number of high quality principal candidates. Some districts have started programs to grow their own administrators. These districts, sometimes in conjunction with university programs, are providing training and mentoring for future school leaders. Some districts are…

Increasingly, researchers, teacher educators and governmental agencies underline the need for early childhood professionals to be able to conduct and use relevant research in their practice. In contrast, early childhood teachers tend to draw exclusively on practical advice rather than research evidence to evaluate and develop their teaching. To…