To close the gap between reading research and the reality of instruction, the authors developed a reading comprehension approach for elementary school, aiming at explicit instruction and practice of reading comprehension strategies. Their approach encompasses two complementary cornerstones: explicit instruction in reading strategies and creating…

This article reports on a major action research program that experimented with the use of cross-age peer teaching in schools to assist teachers to manage conflict issues in their classrooms, and to re-engage disaffected students in learning. The research, which was conducted in a range of elementary and secondary schools in Australia, was part of…

What reading programs have been proven to help students in grades 2-5 to succeed? To find out, this review summarizes evidence on three types of programs designed to improve the reading achievement of students in grades 2-5: (1) Reading Curricula (Curr), such as "Open Court," "Harcourt," "Reading Street" and other standard and alternative…

This article systematically reviews research on the achievement outcomes of three types of classroom approaches to improving the reading achievement of students in grades 2-5: Reading curricula, computer-assisted instruction (CAI), and instructional process programs. Study inclusion criteria included use of randomized or matched control groups,…

In its first year, an interdisciplinary recreational aquatics program serving eight deaf blind children (3 to 18 years old) developed and sequenced individualized objectives for communication, social, and gross motor areas. Inservice training was conducted for 13 nonhandicapped high school students serving as peer tutors, who were then evaluated…

"Caring School Community"[TM] ("CSC") is a modified version of a program formerly known as the "Child Development Project" ("CDP"). The "CSC" program has been recently revised to eliminate some elements of the "CDP" that were shown in evaluation studies to be inconsistently or poorly…

In the San Francisco Bay Area (California), community agencies and organizations routinely use teenagers as mentors and teachers of peers and younger children. Despite the literature indicating that teens should derive many benefits from these roles, agency staff have observed teen teachers who appear frustrated, bored, or disengaged, or who have…

Peer tutoring and cross-age tutoring are two student-to-student tutoring methods. Peer tutoring occurs when tutors and tutees are of the same age. Cross-age tutoring refers to older students tutoring younger students. Studies of cross-age tutoring have reported improved academic performance for both tutors and tutees. The present study was…

The student-to-student chemistry initiative (SSCI) impact on elementary school students is examined quantitatively. Results reveal that the number of students attending the chemistry outreach demonstration performances sponsored by the small chemistry department increased more than five-folds.

Theoretical considerations for peer and cross-age tutoring are presented, essential inqredients for effective programs are offered, and a practical approach used by consulting teachers to design and implement a cost-effective tutoring program in Barre, Vermont is described. Benefits for the tutor and tutee are pointed out, including that tutoring…

Tutoring's academic and emotional benefits for exceptional students are outlined. This is suggested as a method for secondary schools to meet the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) and Individual Education Plan (IEP) provisions of PL 94-142. (SJL)

Implications of social psychological theory and research, particularly in the area of social influence, are examined to provide a theoretical foundation for cross-age tutoring programs. Areas discussed include the effectiveness of various bases of social influence and the effects of tutoring programs on students, tutors, and teachers. (Author/SJL)

A discussion of practices associated with successful schooling of students in heterogeneous groupings looks at outcomes-based instructional models, instructional models using peer power, effective use of heterogeneous and multi-age grouping, strategies for redefining school organizational structure, and teacher training content. (MSE)

This review of the literature on peer and cross-age tutoring emphasizes programs in mathematics and suggests that such programs have positive academic outcomes for African American and other minority students as well as for White students who participate as tutors, as tutees, or both. Such programs also appear to have a positive impact on a…

This paper outlines the rationale for the development of several sports programs for Australia's children, their main features, and evidence of the extent to which they are achieving their goals. The programs include AUSSIE SPORT: Sport for Kids, a modified sports program for the senior grades of primary schools; Sportsfun, an after school program…