DOCUMENT RESUME ED 403 238 SP 037 098 TITLE International Colloquium on Education: British and American Perspectives (4th, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom, May 22-24, 1995). Proceedings. INSTITUTION Wales Univ., Swansea. Dept. of Education. REPORT NO ISBN-0-90094-438-2 PUB DATE May 95 NOTE 148p. PUB TYPE Collected Works Conference Proceedings (021) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC06 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Action Research; *College School Cooperation; Cooperative Learning; Educational Change; *Educational Environment; *Educational Policy; Educational Research; Elementary Secondary Education; English (Second Language); Foreign Countries; Higher Education; High Risk Students; Inservice Teacher Education; *Instructional Leadership; Language Minorities; Mathematics Education; Minority Group Teachers; *Partnerships in Education; Standards; Student Evaluation IDENTIFIERS United States; University of Wales Swansea; University of Wisconsin la Crosse; Wales ABSTRACT This collection of studies represents collaboration between the Departments of Education of theUniversity of Wales Swansea and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The papers are as follows: (1) "Analysing the Social Climate of Schools andClassrooms" (Robert W. Bilby);(2) "Reading Whose World?" (Diane Cannon);(3) "The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Standards:Systemic Change for the Twenty-first Century" (M. ElizabethCason); (4) "Developing Baseline Assessment: A Useful Tool or.a NecessaryEvil?" (Gill Harper-Jones);(5) "A Critical Analysis of Identification, Evaluation, Placement and Programming Processes for Studentsin the United States Who Are Identified as Having ExceptionalNeeds" (Hal Hiebert); (6) "The Effects of Recent Government Policy on the Provision of English Language Instruction for Children ofEthnic Minorities in South Wales" (Graham Howells); (7) "Cooperative Learning in the Workshop: Integrating Social Skills, GroupRoles and Processing to Facilitate Learning in the Integrated Language Arts Classroom" (Carol A. Kirk);(8) "Issues and Concerns: Meeting Needs of Teachers Who Work with At-Risk Youth"(Bob Krajewski); (9) "Inservice Education for Teachers through the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Continuing Education and Extension"(Barbara Manthei); (10) "Reconnecting Educators: The Responsibility of University Faculty to Public School Faculty--a UW-LaCrosse Case Study" (James R. Parker); (11) "Education PolicyMaking in Wales: A Research Agenda" (Robert Phillips); (12) "Issues andTrends in American Education from the Perspective of anEducator/Student" (Marilyn Pitzner); (13) "Developing Thinking Skills inMathematics" (Sonia Jones and Howard Tanner); and (14) "The Role of theSubject Head of Department in Secondary Schools--A NeglectedArea of School Effectiveness Research?" (C. K. Turner). (ND) FOURTH INTERNATIONAL COLLOQUIUM ON EDUCATION: BRITISH AND AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES PROCEEDINGS MAY 22 -24, 1995 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF WALES SWANSEA SWANSEA EST PY AVAILABLE PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION HAS BEEN GRANTED BY CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization 0e/A/`-Lr originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) official OERI position or policy. 21 FOREWORD The research collaboration between the Departments of Education of the University of Wales Swansea and the University of Wisonsin-La Crosse is now well established. This most recent collection of essays is the tangible evidence of the strength of that link and of the shared interests which inform the work of both Departments. The need for reflective professionals in education, on both sides of the Atlantic, can surely never have been greater than at the present time. Both Departments can take pride in the fact that their work is underpinned by the research and scholarship which is evidenced in these Proceedings. We in Swansea look forward to further close collaboration and are pleased to publish this collection which will enable widerdissemination of the work brought under consideration at our most recent meeting. Roy Lowe Head of the Department of Education University of Wales Swansea ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The fourth in the series of British-American Colloquia was once again brought about by the organisational efforts of two key individuals, Dr John Parkinson from the University of Wales Swansea and Associate Professor Lee Goodhart of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. We gratefully acknowledge, too, the unstinting support of the Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales Swansea, and the heads of the respective Departments of Education. Acknowledgements are also due to Dr Graham Howells for organising the Colloquium sessions and assembling the papers, and to Steve Kennewell for bringing them to the stage of publication. CONTENTS Analysing the Social Climate of Schools and Classrooms Robert W. Bilby University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Reading Whose World? Diane Cannon University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse 8 The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Standards: Systemic Change for the Twenty-first Century M. Elizabeth Cason University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 13 Developing baseline assessment: a Useful Tool or a Necessary Evil? Gill Harper-Jones University of Wales, Swansea 26 A Critical Analysis of Identification, Evaluation, Placement and Programming Processes for Students in the United States who are Identified as Having Exceptional Needs Hal Hiebert University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse 38 The Effects of Recent Government Policy on the Provision of English Language Instruction for Children of Ethnic Minorities in South Wales Graham Howells University of Wales, Swansea 46 Cooperative Learning in the Workshop: Integrating Social Skills, Group Roles and Processing to Facilitate Learning in the Integrated Language Arts Classroom Carol A. Kirk University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 54 Issues and Concerns: Meeting Needs of Teachers Who Work With At-Risk Youth Bob Krajewski University of Wisconsin La Crosse 69 4 Inservice Education for Teachers through the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Continuing Education and Extension Barbara Manthei University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 83 Reconnecting Educators: The Responsibility of University Faculty to Public School Faculty- a UW-Lacrosse Case Study James R. Parker University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse 94 Education Policy Making in Wales : A Research Agenda Robert Phillips University of Wales, Swansea 98 Issues and Trends in American Education from the Perspective of an Educator/student Marilyn Pitzner University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 112 Developing Thinking Skills In Mathematics Sonia Jones and Howard Tanner University of Wales, Swansea 124 The Role of the Subject Head of Department in Secondary Schools- A Neglected Area of School Effectiveness Research? C.K. Turner University of Wales, Swansea 133 5 ANALYSING THE SOCIAL CLIMATE OF SCHOOLS AND CLASSROOMS Robert W. Bilby University of Wisconsin-La Crosse For at least several decades, the 'organizational climate' of schools has been the focus of attention of scholars seeking to identify characteristics of the school environment that are related to valued educational outcomes, particularly student learning.This paper first very briefly reviews the notion of school or classroom social climate as it has been conceptualized and studied by educational researchers and social scientists, and then offers an additional set of concepts for thinking about school social climates. Background The terms school'social climate' and 'school culture',as well as "ambiance" (Goodlad, 1984) and "ethos" (Rutter, Maughan, Mortimore and Ouston, 1979; Grant, 1988), have been used extensively in recent years to label what an observer might call the spirit,heart, personality or character of a school or classroom . The terms `organizational climate' and :social climate of the organization' were developed primarily by socialpsychologistsin aneffortto demonstrate thatthesocial environment created within organizations influences the attitudes and behaviors of individuals over and above the influence of the purely psychological characteristics individuals bring to the organization. School or classroom social climates are usually studied by obtaining information on how participants perceive social features or processes of the school, such as the teachers' perceptions of the collegiality of the teaching staff and values of the students, or the students' perceptions ofshared expectations or teacher supportiveness. While the term 'school culture' refers to similar phenomena, itis couched in a more sociological argot such as the norms, values, ideology or assumptions that characterize a school over and above particular beliefs or habits of individual students, teachers or administrators. A concise overview of the literature on school and classroom social climates is found in Stockard and Mayberry (1992, p. 19-32). At the level of the entire school, four somewhat overlapping themes characterize findings from research on aspects of school social climates associated with student achievement. One, academic excellence is valued explicitly and there are expectations that students can and will learn. Two, administrative leadership promotes collegiality, is involved