This CRitical Issue Bibliography (CRIB) Sheet focuses on learning communities, an exciting innovation in teaching and learning. The term learning communities is being used to refer to new processes for linking learners, especially a curricular restructuring approach that links or clusters classes around an interdisciplinary theme and that enrolls…

Focused on the topic of ability grouping in reading instruction, particularly at the elementary level, this annotated bibliography contains 31 references to articles and papers entered in the ERIC database between 1983 and 1989. The citations include articles discussing recent research on ability grouping, and possible alternatives to ability…

A literature review focused on the effectiveness of ability grouping in kindergarten through the sixth grade. A total of 28 annotations were organized in terms of: (1) types of grouping; (2) effects of ability grouping on behavior, self-concept, and friendship; and (3) academic achievement. Several studies found that students assigned to high…

With the aim of developing a better basis for industrial education curricula as part of career education, 12 cluster plans found in the recent literature are described in the first half of the document. Each description indicates target population, grade level, and the career clusters included, to suggest the plan's comprehensiveness and its…

Nongraded education is the practice of teaching children of different ages and ability levels together, without dividing them into groups labeled by grade designations. As the year 2000 approaches and schools are being re-evaluated in light of changing social and economic conditions, nongradedness is the focus of renewed interest. This publication…

This publication includes two papers by John Hollifield, three ERIC Digests and two ERIC resource lists on group learning, and a reprint of an ERIC search on cooperative learning in elementary and middle schools. The two papers are titled: (1) "Cooperative Learning in Elementary Schools: From Supplemental Instructional Practice to Schoolwide…

The four sections of this monograph review current research related to mathematics education from the points of view of studies concerning (1) the curriculum, (2) the child, (3) the learning environment, and (4) teaching methods. Topics addressed in part one include the sources of mathematics curricula, the curricular validity of "new…

Presents annotations of nine articles from the ERIC database that discuss the pedagogical relationship between reading teachers and their students. Includes articles that deal with whole-language instruction, student motivation, instructional grouping, questioning techniques, and the characteristics of effective teachers. (PRA)

This bibliography includes articles and books that discuss the theory behind study circles, describe successful study circle programs, and explain how to develop reading materials for study circles. Some of the entries discuss related subjects such as how people learn in groups, democracy, public opinion, and issue forums. Researchers, adult…

This bibliography provides a recommended list of research and theoretical literature on school restructuring. Selected for practitioners, policy makers, and researchers, the literature is organized into five areas. Part I, "General References on School Restructuring," has sections on proposals for school reform (42 references); how…

This document opens with an editorial comment on two analogical models for mathematics education research. Analyses and abstracts of twelve research reports related to mathematics education follow. Four of the reports deal with aspects of learning theory, two with sex differences, and one each with achievement grouping, drill and practice,…

This paper studies two kinds of selection practices in schools, curriculum tracking and class ranking. Using multiple regression analyses of the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS), this paper finds that tracking and class ranks have important effects on whether students can attend college. However, it also finds that many students misperceive…

This is the first of a series of Capsule Bibliographies on current issues in urban and minority education. It is a selection from a computer search using suitable descriptors matched against a standard Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) Clearinghouse profile for urban and minority concepts. Such descriptors (subject headings) as…

This guide for parents of gifted children in Texas is intended to provide general information and sources of additional help. Section 1 examines the meaning of being gifted and talented and provides the Texas definition of giftedness, lists of characteristics and concomitant problems of gifted and talented children, and a discussion of the highly…

This bibliography provides a recommended list of research and theoretical literature in school restructuring. The literature, chosen to be of interest for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers, is organized into five areas: (1) General References on School Restructuring is divided into proposals for school reform, how schools work, and the…