More science laboratories are being built because of larger enrollments in academics and schools. There is an increase in hands-on/process science effected by the renewed interest in and priority of science education. New science curricula like Biotechnology and Advanced college type program courses are being introduced with the use of exotic…

Many people feel mathematics education in the U.S. is in need of improvement. Fennema and Franke (1992) note that teachers' knowledge (or lack thereof) is often associated with poor instruction and thus, low student achievement on instruments which measure mathematical aptitude. For this reason, universities across the country have become…

This study investigates the teaching practices of newly certified elementary teachers in an alternative master's degree program. This study evaluates questions concerning teaching methodology utilized by the respondents in the major curriculum areas of elementary education. The questions ask about the new teacher's use of direct instruction,…

Data-driven decision making (DDDM), applied to student achievement testing data, is a central focus of many school and district reform efforts, in part because of federal and state test-based accountability policies. This paper uses RAND research to show how schools and districts are analyzing achievement test results and other types of data to…

Science educators have recently begun to enact and study new, collaborative forms of professional development. Yet, few recognize that doing so requires contesting historical meanings of "university-school collaboration" and "professional development," both of which may operate to sustain a hierarchy model of collaboration. The hierarchy model…

This article discusses one component of an ongoing project to explore differentiated instruction as an approach for meeting the academic and related needs of a wide array of diverse learners in schools. The project originated with a task force examining the results of the 2001 student teacher exit survey at a regional university's teacher…

The article discusses the inclusion of technology in elementary music education. The Technology Institute for Music Educators was an excellent place for learning music technology as they offer summer courses for teachers with novice to advanced skills in technology. Music technology differentiates instruction and challenge the musically gifted…

Ninety elementary-school teachers read information about a hypothetical student experiencing school-related problems due to Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), generated classroom accommodations to assist the student, and rated their confidence in these accommodations. Each teacher was provided one of three levels of information about T1DM: (a) "no…

Bearing in mind students' misconceptions about basic concepts in astronomy, the present study conducted a series of constructivist activities aimed at changing future elementary and junior high school teachers' conceptions about the cause of seasonal changes, and several characteristics of the Sun-Earth-Moon relative movements like Moon phases,…

Teachers were among the public servants at work in New York City on September 11, 2001. This study focuses on the feelings and actions of a representative group of elementary teachers in Queens, New York. As they became aware of the unfolding tragedy of the World Trade Center attacks, they demonstrated the essential qualities of public service,…

The author details the US education scenario, in which there are many more women than men teaching in K-12 schools. The National Education Association (NEA) says the number of male teachers in public schools is at its lowest level in 40 years--under a quarter of all teachers in US public schools are men. Moreover, if male teachers are uncommon,…

This paper reports the relationship between four English primary teachers' understanding of the nature of science and their practice. Action research was included as a major part of the research design in order to explore the dialectical interplay between various factors at work in the teachers' practice. The influences of both tacit and espoused…

The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher characteristics that may lead to special education referrals, including efficacy, burnout, experience, and preparation. We hypothesized that likelihood to refer for special education is related to these teacher characteristics. This study involved 106 elementary teachers who rated themselves on…

This study investigated teachers' perceptions of how one school district supported and sustained a teacher-led staff development committee's professional development program. In this small, rural school district, teachers regarded as exemplary by their administrators and colleagues were invited to serve on the district's staff development…

In this study, we examine to what extent psychosocial student outcomes in primary school children vary between classes, and whether elements of teaching can explain some of this variation. Starting with a sample of 379 kindergarten children out of 24 classes, academic achievement and behaviour problems were assessed in 2 consecutive years.…