This article is focused on identifying the current issues in elementary education in the United States. In each of these issues, elementary educators are at the crossroads looking for solutions and directions. Based on the review of literature, the authors pinpoint the upcoming challenges elementary school educators will be facing in the future.…

To be effective in providing a writing literacy program, regardless of communication approaches, educators should establish program-wide conditions that promote English writing literacy over time. The researcher's purpose for this study was to identify shared characteristics of writing intervention programs in three different communication school…

Intended for use in conjunction with the "Statement of Standards for Reading Instruction," this checklist-rating scale provides guidance for reviewing school reading programs, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Following an introduction, the guide discusses the mechanics of using the checklist-rating scale, then provides the response sheet and…

Summarizes the background conditions and rationale for the creation of the Aesthetic Education Program of CEMREL, Inc., and reviews its activities and accomplishments since its inception. (Author/RK)

Defining "curriculum" is difficult, because, as a multidimensional term, it has been given a variety of definitions throughout the years. Although the curriculum field has deepened and diversified impressively during the past decades, it still seems unlikely that any definition will ever fully capture all the meanings, characteristics,…

Shows how an elementary school's spelling program evaluation led to the formulation of a spelling policy reflecting the school's whole language approach to learning. (MM)

This article picks up the debate on the requirements of materials criticism and provides an extensive critique of the Philosophy for Children program, contributing both a description of the program material and a basis for further discussion and exchange on the issue of materials criticism. (Author/MLF)

This program description is one of twenty-one reports dealing with the developmental history of recent educational products. Objectives of the Taba project are to help elementary grade students develop thinking skills, key concept understandings, desired attitudes and values, and cognitive abilities in a sequential manner through process…

Joe Renzulli asserts that pull-out programs for gifted elementary school children that reflect horizontal enrichment and vertical acceleration can provide flexibility and enable radical departures from the regular curriculum. Joyce VanTassel-Baska counters that current pull-out programs are inadequately planned, provide insufficient time, are…

Presented are the results of a 2-year project to develop and implement an instructional model for 200 identified talented and gifted students in grades K-8. Listed in an introductory section are project objectives (which include fostering improvement in creativity). Briefly described are such aspects of the program as student selection, project…

A study investigated the instructional and curricular changes made in seven Mesa (Arizona) public elementary schools as a result of a 1989 state mandate for second language instruction at the elementary school level. In the schools under study, Spanish second language instruction is integrated into the core curriculum. The study examined…

The recent dissolution of many FLES programs throughout the nation is seen as a trend which is directly related to the quality of the instructional program offered. Consequently, the author lists general criteria to determine standards of excellence in FLES programs and proposes specific constraints to be observed in the development of new FLES…

Presents a parental perspective on a laboratory school at a Southern California university. Evaluates five aspects of the educational experience: friendships, the school programs, transportation, the school schedule, and the faculty. Cites excellent education, enriching friendships, and comfortable growth into a new phase of schooling as benefits.…

Examines the development and implementation of a multicultural education workshop designed to help future elementary school teachers prepare for classroom student diversity. Student journals and faculty perceptions are used in an outcome analysis that reveals an increase in participant knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for the…

Two-way, or bilingual, immersion education, a major innovation in the integration of language and content instruction, is intended to improve the quality of language education for language minority and language majority students in the United States. The emerging educational practice responds to the increasing proportions of language minority…