State Education Finance and Governance Profile: Mississippi

WHAT'S HAPPENING TO AMERICAN ENGLISH? by Am Tibbetts and Charlene Tibbetts. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1978. xiii + 189. $8.95.

HISTORY, EDUCATION, AND PUBLIC POLICY edited by Donald R. Warren. Berkeley, California: McCutchan Publishing Corp., 1978. 318 pp. $13.50.

RESEARCH CENTERS DIRECTORY, Sixth Edition. Edited by Archie M. Palmer. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Company, 1979. xii + 1,121 pp. $85.00     

One-trial context fear conditioning with immediate shock: The roles of transport and contextual cues

In three experiments, using a total of 120 albino rats, we assessed whether transportation cues might evoke some of the freezing (i.e., defensive immobility) that we see in a context on a day following a footshock given immediately after placement in that context. The results suggested that immediate shock could directly condition strong fear to both simulated and actual transport cues. Although conditioning to transport cues explains some of the freezing that is seen on the test day, it does not explain all of it. We also found evidence that some of the freezing is due to conditioning to permanent features of the context in which the immediate shock is given. The results support a role for transport cues in theories of context conditioning and argue against shock-processing accounts of the conditioning deficit that results from immediate shock.     

Social and emotional development in the first two years

Summary Social and emotional development begins from the moment of birth. Remarkably, infants are able to engage with their social world, particularly their parents and family. They start to establish a secure attachment with their primary caregivers who provide not only nurturance but guidance. A sense of security facilitates infants' exploration of their physical and social world. They demonstrate selective preferences—they prefer to look at faces and listen to voices—that reflect their genetically programmed disposition. Infants are able to express their emotions and recognize the emotional expressions of others. The development of basic human attributes emerge in the first few weeks and months of life. Caring, loving adults play such a critical role in providing learning opportunities to interact with others and express their emotions in an appropriate manner. Adults shape the quality of experiences that infants encounter and provide the basic building blocks of trust that support further development later in life.     

A complex adaptive system approach to evaluation: application to a pay-for-performance program in the USA

Evaluators frequently confront situations in which local programs struggle to meet the expectations and requirements specified by the external program funder. How can evaluators meaningfully evaluate programs (for both the funder and grantee) in situations in which the external program logic clashes with local complexities? This paper discusses complex adaptive system (CAS) evaluations as one method that addresses this question. To exemplify a CAS evaluation approach, we use the case of a pay-for-performance program, the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) program, a United States federal program implemented in numerous jurisdictions. Evaluation findings generated through a complex adaptive system approach have the potential to inform policy as well as assist the local program with ongoing improvements.     

Expanding roles or evolving identity? Doctoral school psychologists in school vs. nonschool practice settings

The purpose of this study was to investigate variables related to the professional identity and career path of school-based vs. non-school-based doctoral-level school psychologists. Two hundred seventy-three psychologists trained as school psychologists completed a questionnaire developed to investigate their training, experience, and perceptions. Respondents differed little by employment setting (school-based vs. non-school-based) in reports of their training or experiences. However, significant differences were found among groups in two areas: ratings of relative importance of characteristics of employment setting, and perceived identity as a school psychologist.     

Culture wars in the classroom: Prospective teachers question science

Does studying about the nature(s) of science contribute to a prospective teachers' effectiveness as a science teacher? This research grew out of a course created by a science educator and historian of science who believed prospective teachers needed more complex understandings of the cultural wars surrounding science. The research team consisted of five prospective teachers who participated in the course as well as the two instructors. This paper describes the experience of participating in the course from both perspectives. We argue that studying the cultural wars over science contributes to prospective teachers' professional growth as much because the course elicits tacit beliefs about school science as it introduces more complex understandings of science. We found that prospective teachers' tacit beliefs about school science were their greatest barrier to developing more complex understandings about the nature(s) of science. We contend that willingness to grapple with complexity and developing a professional identity by locating oneself in the conversations about the nature(s) of science are better criteria for determining the professional growth of prospective teachers than knowledge measures. Finally, we argue that prospective teachers should be viewed as professionals who are responsible for finding their own voice, making their own decisions, and considering the consequences of their beliefs on their practice. This study raises questions critical to teacher education programs for prospective teachers and teacher‐educators alike. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 895–915, 2000