With the message that parents need to become informed about the educational practices that affect their children, this book offers a guide to different approaches to kindergarten, expectations for incoming students, and ways to obtain needed information for parents new to the process of schooling. Following an introduction that calls for increased…

On September 5, 1986, the Elementary School Center convened a national, interdisciplinary group of respondents and observer-participants to debate the main issues raised in Secretary of Education Bennett's "First Lessons" and to note the areas which need additional attention. Respondents and observer-participants included public and…

Data collection procedures for the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study are described. The instructional time phase of this study investigated the amount of time the teacher spent teaching particular objectives in reading and mathematics, and its relationship to student achievement. Two types of data were gathered from the second and fifth grade…

This paper provides an extensive review of the most relevant issues involved in the management of teacher demand and supply at the pre-tertiary level. First, it proposes a conceptual framework for distinguishing among, defining and relating the different relevant factors. Second, it identifies trends and policy concerns regarding the quality of…

The National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) is the third in a series of longitudinal studies sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics. This report profiles the mathematics and science instruction received by eighth graders (11,414 surveyed in mathematics and 10,686 in science) in public and private schools in 1988…

This document contains 22 tables of statistical data comprising reference group summaries for the data included in the October 1988 New York State Comprehensive Assessment Reports. School administrators can compare the data for their schools and school districts with those for various reference groups in New York. Sections A through E include…

These essays share award-winning teachers' strategies for adapting their classrooms to the ever-changing environment: "Professional Development Has Shaped Me and My Classroom" (Kay Wallace); "Teachers Go Back to School" (Steven T. Jackson); "Keeping Up With Change" (Caryn Smith Long); "Self-Reflection: Looking…

This guide explains how low-performing schools can become high-achieving ones, using information from studies of Title I schools. It presents practical ideas from these schools and communities as well as the research base behind their success. The nine chapters are (1) "Five Steps to a Good Start" (e.g., help parents understand how children's…

Open and distance learning (ODL) is increasingly being regarded as a viable policy option for developing countries with limited educational resources for buildings, books and trained teachers, seeking to increase accessibility for large numbers of learners in education and training opportunities. Advocates of ODL as an appropriate solution to…

Recognizing the necessity of examining the needs of early adolescents and changing the focus of middle grades education in Australia, this report describes the findings from the Northcote Network of Schools, 8 primary and 2 secondary schools collaborating to develop continuity and coherence across grades 5 through 8. The paper outlines activities…

The substance and impact of state-level reforms related to student standards are presented by: (1) providing information on the currrent state of educational reforms aimed at raising student standards; (2) summarizing research designed to identify linkages between higher standards and student outcomes; (3) exploring the strength of relationships…

The annotated bibliography of research on Canadian core French programs, in which French is taught as a regular subject in English-language schools, provides a comprehensive summary of empirical research since 1970. It includes research reports from school boards, reports of government-funded research, unpublished theses, published books, and…

Children's orientation to school and various aspects related to children's transition to first and fourth grades are examined in this study. The primary strategy for gathering information was use of questionnaires administered to teachers, principals, and a stratified random sample of parents. Results are reported in terms of seven topics: the…

This report and its appendixes are the products of a 50-state study of current legal standards for public elementary and secondary education and represent a summary and comparative analysis of the law as it exists in the states today. State education policy-makers--state legislators and staff of legislative reference services, department of…

This guide, designed for second language teachers and teacher trainees, addresses central practical, methodological concerns in effective classroom management and decision making. The first chapter provides background information and assumptions. The second chapter discusses the planning process (lesson preparation, pre-instructional…