The relevance of homework in today's schools is explored in this bulletin. Following the introduction, chapter 1 examines the effect of homework on academic achievement and concludes that there is a lack of agreement on the benefits of homework and on the amount of time students should spend on it. Chapter 2 describes homework practices in some…

Two six-year old kindergartners from different classrooms were able to write books because their instructors recognized their enthusiasm and provided extra time. The first student, frustrated at not being able to finish rewriting "Cinderella" during the limited writing periods of the classroom, was allowed to finish the story over a…

Although policymakers have recently tended to call for longer school days or years, such reforms might be ineffective or counterproductive if they fail to take into account the interactions between time and other determinants of learning, including the role of the student in allocating time. Research has shown that the amount of learning is a…

(The paper reports on implications of classroom research for class management techniques especially in classes in which handicapped students are mainstreamed. Findings demonstrating a conflict between giving attention to individual children and keeping general engagement high are identified. Recommended room management (RM) procedures are reported…

This policy brief was written to provide the North Carolina State Board of Education with a summary of research on enhancing effective instructional time. The impetus for extending school time appears to stem from two primary sources: international comparisons, and research on the relationship between time and learning. Research findings indicate…

This document consists of all 20 issues of the journal "Perceptions" published from fall 1990 through summer 1998 (8 years). Issues include articles about methods, materials, approaches, and techniques for working with students with emotional and behavioral disorders. (CR)

Parents, teachers, and government officials agree that America's schools must be reformed. However, new research suggests that most reforms will not work without closer attention to one critical resource--time. This document presents findings of a study conducted by the Rand Institute on Education and Training, which found that any reform takes…

The study compared the adjustment to regular classes (in New Zealand) of eight 6- and 7-year-old children with Down Syndrome (DS) with that of 24 children rated by their eight teachers as being the "three least competent children in the class." The study evaluated teacher attitudes, social participation on the playground, and…

To explore the relationship between time and school learning, this paper defines the three kinds of learning time identified by researchers--allocated time, time-on-task, and academic learning time--and relates them to curriculum development. The author cites evidence that time-on-task is related to student achievement and describes two…

School board members can use board policies to set the direction for effective instructional management. Effective schools appear to have these characteristics in common: (1) strong instructional leadership by the principal, (2) a safe and orderly atmosphere, (3) high expectations of all students, (4) schoolwide emphasis on basic skills…

The monograph provides an integrative review on the environmental and instructional factors that appear to be most conducive to the complex, interactive, and interdependent process of learning. Ten instructional strategies empirically documented to have a critical impact on a student's ability to learn are discussed in detail. They are: (1) The…

School boards can improve their schools if they focus on four factors that educational research says most strongly influence school effectiveness. The four factors are (1) the time students spend on the subject matter each day, (2) textbooks, (3) teachers and their teaching methods, and (4) principals' support to help teachers achieve…

This issue of "Investigations in Mathematics Education" contains: (1) a review of E. Fischbein's book "The Intuitive Sources of Probabilistic Thinking in Children;" (2) nine abstracts of research studies in mathematics education; (3) a list (by EJ number) of mathematics education research studies reported in the January to…

This document analyzes responses to questions included in a national assessment of knowledge of U.S. history and geography in an attempt to determine the relationship between study habits and academic performance. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1994 asked 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-grade students specific questions regarding…