Thomas R. McDaniel

The Ten Commandments of Motivation

M otivation. Getting students to move: move toSward instructional goals, move into academic learning, move forward in the acquisition of skills and values. What teacher has not wanted to know the secrets of effective motivation? In this article I have outlined ten commandments of motivation-principles drawn from the experience of effective teachers, the theories of psychologists and educators, and the current research on effective teaching. For each commandment, I have suggested a few practical applications for the classroom teacher. Practice these principles faithfully and watch your students show more interest, involvement, participation, and achievement.

Gap: New Directions for the Secondary School

_______The future of American education, like its past, will be the story of the evolving relationship between the family and the school, says this writer, who provides some suggestions to ensure that this relationship is a strong one.

Cheating in School: What We Know and What We Can Do

O K, TCH readers, are you ready for your true-false quiz? It should be easy for you experienced and well-educated educators. Now, do not look first at the answers below; do not ask a friend or relative for help; do not look up the answers on the Internet; do turn off your cell phone; do not change your answers after you have reviewed the correct answers. This is not a collaboration exercise in “cooperative learning.” Be true to your high ethical standards, your moral teachings, and your personal code of honor,

The Education of Alice and Dorothy: Helping Girls to Thrive in School

Alice and Dorothy, two schoolgirls, had extraordinary adventures on the way to growing up. Wonderland and Oz were fictional settings for the education of two quite different girls, but what an education these youngsters received! Lewis Carroll and Frank Baum used their fictional worlds to satirize life in their respective societies in the way only good fiction can, and in the process they left enduring lessons. Alice in Wonderland and Dorothy in Oz raise questions about contemporary American education-especially the education of girls. First, consider poor Alice. Her English world is nicely ordered-with matters of class, values, and proper roles for girls all settled. And then, alas, she falls down the rabbit hole into a place where the world is topsy-turvy. Her order is disrupted, and her notions of the true and proper are called into question. Bizarre charactersfrom grinning cats to croquet-playing cards-make her rethink her basic values as she seeks her way back home. Recall her encounter with a mischievous, disappearing Cheshire cat:

Making the School Uniform Decision: Is It Right for "Your" School?.

Do school uniforms make a difference in student academic performance, school spirit, discipline, and safety? What are the legal restrictions that bear on the school uniform decision in public schools? Do uniform policies lead to less school violence? Do they impose an economic hardship, outweighing the advantages, on low-income families? The school uniform questions raised in this article are not new, and both proponents and opponents have debated the desirability of school uniforms for public school students-especially elementary-level students-for more than 25 years. (Of course, private schools, especially parochial schools, have had uniforms for students for much longer.) This article considers this educational issue under three categories: the history of the school uniform debate, legal issues, and research findings. The article provides 6 guidelines for school leaders to consider as they go about developing and implementing policies related to student uniforms. Language: en

Winning at the Publication Game.

Abstract Prospective authors submitting articles to The Clearing House or other professional journals should realize that publishing success depends, in part, on game strategies. This article by the Executive Editors of TCH identifies ten strategies, based on metaphors from competitive sports, that can help authors win at the publication game.