A parent of a kindergarten child in Texas began observing her child's classroom when she noticed that the whole language instructional approach described to parents before the beginning of school was apparently not being implemented as stated. The parent was surprised when her child's teacher suggested, after only six weeks of instruction, that…

In 1975, The Texas Board of Education adopted instructional resources as a priority area and chose Learning Resources Centers (LRC) to be used as the means for implementation. Title IVC funds were granted for the 1976-1977, 1977-1978, and 1978-1979 school years to develop, plan, and field-test an LRC model which used a paraprofessional staff…

Problem-based learning is designed to maximize active student participation in the learning process, foster student problem-solving and self-education skills, enhance student self-assessment, increase student communication skills, and improve student abilities to access and use information resources. A Texas high school's innovative problem-based…

Describes evaluation of "Heart Partners," which used an interpersonal approach to increasing schools' and teachers' acceptance and use of school health-promotion innovations. Trained individuals became on-campus recruiters and allies of advocates. Participant surveys showed a twofold to fourfold increase in actual use and reach of school…

The national standards of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) provide for defining the role of the school counselor, evaluating the content of counseling programs, and effectively meeting the needs of students. This study surveyed 495 school counselors in all levels including Kindergarten through 12th grade in Texas public schools to…

A project was conducted in Texas to update office education curriculum based on previously developed workplace outcomes and integration of competencies identified by the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS). One course, Business Computer Applications I, was chosen as the model for the project. During the project, activities…

Findings of a study that evaluated the implementation and effectiveness of 10 state-authorized parent education and involvement pilot programs in Texas are presented in this paper. Data were derived from demographic report forms, 369 parent opinion surveys, student opinion surveys, 105 teacher opinion surveys, cost surveys, and final evaluation…

This sourcebook of over 100 Texas middle-school programs was developed to help educators implement intermediate-grade education concepts and practices in their schools. The volume is a companion publication to "Spotlight on the Middle: Report of the Texas Task Force on Middle School Education." The introduction mentions two offices in…

The Fort Bend Independent School District (a large, growing school district in Sugar Land, Texas) elected to become a Reading Recovery Teacher Training site and faced many decisions regarding effective implementation, including campus (school) selection. They began slowly with only two campuses the first year, added four to five the second year,…

Containing four sections of materials for workshop presenters to teach phonological awareness, this guide assists early reading program educators in enhancing the Reading and Language Arts knowledge and skills of Texas students. Section 1, an introduction, defines the purpose of the guide and outlines six goals. Section 2, Professional…

Pay for performance is a popular public education reform, and millions of dollars are currently being targeted for pay for performance programs. These reforms are popular because economic and management theories suggest that well-designed incentive pay programs could improve teacher effectiveness. There is little evidence about the characteristics…

This progress report reviews the first year of Texas' public-school accountability system. The report meets the state legislature's requirement to: (1) provide reliable measurement of student performance; (2) relate student academic outcomes to state standards; (3) recommend action in cases where results deviated from expected performance; and (4)…

The 71st Texas Legislature established several pilot programs for the 1989-90 and 1990-91 school years with the aim of improving the academic performance of and reducing the dropout rate of public school students. This report combines information about pilot programs from these 2 school years with cost surveys and descriptions of the programs.…

Intended for use as staff development for both new and experienced teachers who will participate in mentoring programs, this guide discusses effective mentoring in English education. Section 1 of the guide discusses the Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts and outlines how its multiple projects are designed to share successful strategies and…

Describes the characteristics of a multifaceted approach to violence prevention, Students for Peace, which was introduced in four, urban middle schools in Texas. Components consist of modification of the school environment, introduction of a violence-prevention curriculum, use of peer resources, and parent education. Barriers to implementation are…