The National Academy of Education has selected an Indiana University School of Education assistant professor as a 2009-2010 Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow. Melissa Gresalfi, a counseling and educational psychology assistant professor, is among the 20 researchers selected from a pool of more than 150 applicants.

The Indiana University School of Education is now offering a new doctoral program in Inquiry Methodology, a program just approved by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. The program focuses on the study of research strategies used with both quantitative and qualitative data, allowing students to pursue a wide range of interests and contribute to better informing public debate on education and educational policy.

Findings released today by a national survey based at an Indiana University research center show that the quality of undergraduate education varies far more within colleges and universities than between them. As a result, rankings can be highly misleading predictors of educational quality.

Most of the proceeds from Saturday's "Comedy Caravan" at Bear's Place in Bloomington will go toward supporting Indiana University School of Education students participating in the second International School Psychology Practicum in Guatemala this summer.

How should school administrators react In the wake of school violence across the United States? Find out in the November issue of Learning Matters. In additional to school violence, this issue looks at full-day kindergarten, which will be one of the hottest issues in the next legislative session. Also, hear from education researchers at IU Southeast about why teachers must adapt their instruction for both children living in poverty and those who are not, as well as how to teach K-12 students about the global market.

Learning Matters for December includes items about students' mathematics performance in Indiana and nationwide, service learning courses for college students over spring break, and a partnership aimed at helping elementary students who struggle with math and reading -- before they fall behind.

Learning Matters for November provides information about innovative ways to incorporate the holidays into science activities, a problem-based learning CD-ROM to help special-education pre-service teachers, and helping students with disabilities get an appropriate education in the least restrictive environment.

Learning Matters for October provides information about autism, gender balances in China and elsewhere, and concerns about quantitative research.

Staff at schools that experienced "near misses," where violence was averted in student-to-student hostage situations, attributed their success to luck. A little prodding by an Indiana University Bloomington education professor has revealed that the teachers and staff already had taken steps that worked in their favor at those crucial times.

Learning Matters discusses faculty and student research involving the rights and responsibilities of college students, why children's books need not always have happy endings, and culturally-relevant group counseling techniques that could help residents in an African country cope with the AIDS epidemic.

February's news tips about education from Indiana University include research and projects involving cultural differences, unintentional racism, classroom experiences and dynamics, and memories of a race riot.