Communication History

PRINTERS AND PRESS FREEDOM: THE IDEOLOGY OF EARLY AMERICAN JOURNALISM by Jeffery A. Smith (New York: Oxford, 1987—$24.95: ISBN 0-19-505144-0)

COMMUNICATIONS AND HISTORY: THEORIES OF MEDIA, KNOWLEDGE, AND CIVILIZATION by Paul Heyer (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1988—$37.95: ISBN 0-313-26157-1)

WHEN OLD TECHNOLOGIES WERE NEW: THINKING AB0UT COMMUNICATIONS IN THE LATE NINETEENTH CENTURY by Carolyn Marvin (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988 $34.50: ISBN 0-19-50*4468-1)     

Response to intervention for reading difficulties in the primary grades: some answers and lingering questions

The purpose of this article is to describe the current research base and identify research needs related to response to intervention (RTI) frameworks in primary-grade reading. Research is reviewed on early reading instruction and intervention, the implementation of multitiered reading interventions, and the determination of intervention responsiveness. Areas identified as in need of research include (a) the conditions under which early reading interventions are most effective in RTI contexts, (b) multitiered interventions for students with limited English proficiency, (c) reading instruction for students who make limited progress in Tier 3 intensive interventions, (d) criteria for determining intervention responsiveness, and (e) the effects of fully implemented RTI frameworks. Although RTI research may be expensive and difficult to implement, it may contribute to improved reading outcomes for many students who are otherwise at risk of serious negative life consequences.     

Achieving both intellectual quality and relevance in classroom learning experiences: some conceptual challenges

The idea that the educational needs of secondary school students are best met by providing them with learning experiences that are both intellectually challenging and connected to the world beyond the classroom underpins several recent pedagogical initiatives in Australia. However, such learning experiences are rarely found in practice. Many reasons for this have already been identified, but we suggest there may be another dimension to this problem. From our experience of trialling a similar pedagogical approach with Years 8 and 10 students, the participating teachers seemed to be struggling with a conceptual dilemma that interfered with creating learning experiences that are both intellectually challenging and relevant. We suggest this dilemma was generated by a dualistic framework of thinking and practice, endemic in education systems, which constructs academic rigour and relevance as incompatible with each other. We conclude that there is a need for more extensive teacher professional development in pedagogies which attempt to integrate intellectual rigour and relevance.     

History education in transit: where to for Kazakhstan?

This study examines the post‐socialist transition in the secondary education history programme in Kazakhstan from 1990 to the present. The article examines the influence of policy talk and action upon official educational policy, and how the deployment of a new national narrative is being used to construct a de‐Sovietized‐re‐Kazakhified national identity. Educational objectives in calling for de‐Russification and de‐Sovietization are considered in the light of two other objectives: to de‐politicize and de‐ideologize the curriculum following the break‐up of the Soviet Union. I argue that there are two parallel projects at work that both support a more Kazakhified history curriculum and counter‐balance an ethno‐nationalizing programme by developing the World History programme. This study is based on 10 months of in‐country fieldwork encompassing document review, interviews and classroom observations in Kazakh and Russian medium of instruction schools.     

Assessing Technical Writing in Institutional Contexts: Using Outcomes-Based Assessment for Programmatic Thinking

Technical writing instruction often operates in isolation from other components of students' communication education, partly as a consequence of assessment practices that lead to a narrow perspective. We argue for altering this isolation by moving writing instruction into a position of increased programmatic perspective, which may be attained through a means of assessment based on educational outcomes. Two models of technical writing instruction, centralized and diffused, are discussed, and we show how outcomes-based assessment provides for the change in perspective we seek.     

Child Care Subsidy and Quality

This study compared the quality of child care programs serving children receiving government subsidies to those not serving such children. Thirty-four classrooms in full day programs serving preschool aged children (19 subsidized, 15 unsubsidized) were observed using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales-Revised (ECERS-R). (1) Research Findings: One way ANOVA indicated that programs not serving children receiving subsidies were rated higher on overall quality, language and reasoning, learning activities, and social interactions. Teacher salary was significantly correlated with overall quality, and after controlling for teacher salary, subsidy density did not uniquely predict variance in overall quality. (2) Policy Implications: Overall low quality indicates a need for a quality improvement initiative using proven methods. Minimum guidelines for quality beyond state licensing standards should be used to ensure that children in subsidized programs are receiving adequate care and to oversee state and federal investments in early childhood education.