This ERIC digest synthesizes research findings relating active learning to student achievement, reviews the status of active learning practices in today's social studies classrooms, presents examples of active learning practices in specific areas of the social studies, and provides a list of suggestions and resources for integrating active…

This digest highlights the findings of an extensive review and analysis of the literature related to the role of libraries in education. The review was undertaken to demonstrate the critical role libraries can play in meeting the six National Education Goals adopted in 1990 by the President and the governors of the United States. The goals, which…

This ERIC Digest discusses various types of homework assignments and examines research findings about the effectiveness and amount of homework assigned to American schoolchildren. It also examines some of the policies presently being discussed by school districts. Three types of homework are briefly delineated: practice assignments, preparation…

Schools usually adopt year-round education (YRE) for its cost saving features, but a year-round calendar affects all aspects of a school. The primary educational benefit of YRE is that it facilitates continuous student learning. YRE's effect on the curriculum is more complicated at the secondary level than at the elementary level. While studies…

The use of time in school is undergoing close scrutiny. Over the years, educators have sought to enhance learning time through such reforms as block scheduling and year-round schools. School time can be conceived as an inverted pyramid, in which allocated time (total time in the school day or year) forms the top tier, engaged time (time-on-task)…

The ARCS Model of Motivational Design, developed by John M. Keller of Florida State University, is a systematic model for designing motivating instruction. The ARCS Model identifies four essential strategy components for motivating instruction: attention strategies for arousing and sustaining curiosity and interest; relevance strategies that link…

Questioning is one of the most popular modes of teaching, but it has the capacity to turn a child off to learning if done incorrectly. This digest provides teachers with information on the types of questions and questioning behaviors that can facilitate the learning process and on the types of questions that are ineffective. Good questions foster…

Modeled after the pioneering French immersion programs developed in Canada in the 1960s, foreign language immersion programs in the United States are designed to enrich the education of native-English-speaking students by teaching them all of their academic subjects in a second language. The goal is for students to become proficient in the second…

Adult learning can be challenging and traumatic events can exacerbate the process. Symptoms such as difficulty beginning new tasks, fear of risk taking, eroded self-esteem, or inability to concentrate can be evidence of past or current trauma and may be manifested by a learner missing class, avoiding tests, or behaving inappropriately during class…

Students fail in school for a variety of reasons. In some cases, their academic difficulties can be directly attributed to deficiencies in the teaching and learning environment. For example, students with limited English may fail because they do not have access to effective bilingual or English as a second language (ESL) instruction. Students from…

There is an increasing awareness of the usefulness of foreign language training in a number of seemingly diverse areas. Foreign language students develop not only technical skills related to language use but also tangible advantages in the job market because of their increased communication skills. Mastery of languages also enhances the enjoyment…

The information digest presents information on stress management in the schools for learning disabled students. The following questions are addressed: Why does the education "spotlight" need to be trained on stress management in the schools? What is stress? What are possible causes of achievement stress for the learning disabled? (school…

The current school reform effort emphasizes the need to improve the education of all students. Assessing the academic achievement of every student is an essential part of this reform, but one that presents a challenge for most schools, school districts, and states. Traditional assessment practices in many states and school districts have tended to…

By mid 2001, researchers affiliated with the Library Research Service of the Colorado State Library and the University of Denver had completed four statewide studies on the impact of school library media programs on the achievement of U.S. public school students: Information Empowered: The School Librarian as an Agent of Academic Achievement in…

Educators commonly recommend that children born during the summer months, especially boys, be given an extra year to mature before entering kindergarten so that they will not suffer from the academic disadvantages of being among the youngest children in a class. Terms such as "academic red-shirting" and "graying of the…