Technology will not inherently make students in any classroom more mathematically inquisitive, however, the use of technology can foster student-centered inquiry. This article explores the impact technology has on mathematics learning when it emphasizes the ways it supports student-centered pedagogies. Through this lens, the authors focus on…

Individualized Learning Plans (ILPs), an effective strategy to promote students' college and career readiness, are increasingly used in US school systems as a mechanism to encourage students' career exploration and identification of career goals. After describing features of ILPs, we provide an example of the ILP process developed and implemented…

Students (N = 160) in three diverse FFA chapters were surveyed in early fall, midwinter, and late spring in regard to their leadership skills, confidence in leading, and motivation to engage in leadership-oriented behaviors. The results indicated small-to-moderate gains in transformational leadership skill and a marginally significant…

Background: Research on physical fitness often regards socioeconomic status (SES) as a confounding factor. However, few studies investigate the impact of SES on fitness. This study investigated the impact of SES on physical fitness in both males and females, with an economic-based construct of SES. Methods: The sample consisted of 954 6th, 7th,…

School nurses provide an important role in the continuity of health care especially for adolescents who are at high risk for significant health concerns. The purpose of this study was to assess adolescents' health information needs and identify their preferences for accessing health information. Using an inductive qualitative research design, 11…

The study examined the effects of the federally funded Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) program on student performance on mandated standardized tests. The study focused on the mathematics and reading scores of Illinois public elementary and middle and junior high school students. The federal CSR program provided Illinois schools with an annual…

A representative sample of 122,000 eighth-graders participated in the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment, which is designed to measure students' knowledge and abilities in the areas of physical science, life science, and Earth and space sciences. This report covers the overall results, achievement level…

Each state and jurisdiction that participated in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2011 mathematics assessment receives a one-page snapshot report that presents key findings and trends in a condensed format. Overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, comparison of the average score in 2011 to…

Physical education--as well as other academic areas such as agriculture, language arts, business, music, home economics, art, and commercial skills--made up the curriculum for this 4-week program. (SW)

A project to help students make adequate adjustments to the social and emotional aspects of school was successful. (CK)

A new career development resource for nine-to-twelve year-olds, a series of 15 classroom television programs developed by the Agency for Instructional Television and designed to explore a variety of work/career attitudes, is available to Illinois schools. Addresses are included for obtaining information on materials or securing film or video tape.…

Designed to encourage debate, discussion, and, eventually, evaluation of the minimum competency testing movement, this book examines academic, physical, social, aesthetic, and vocational competencies that are basic to the development of the early adolescent. The first of six chapters, Early Adolescent Competencies, raises issues facing schools for…

Reports on several elementary and junior high schools which use mock trials; drama; a legal outreach program; and a teen court, in which teenagers assist in juvenile court cases, to help students learn about the legal system. Statistics show that this hands-on experience is more effective than classroom teaching alone. (SM)

This paper reports on a project designed to improve student achievement through better communication between parents/guardians and teachers of 7th-grade math students in a large, north-central Illinois urban community. Analysis of probable-cause data revealed that no structured means of communication existed. Attempts to communicate were thwarted…

This report presents ways to identify the superior pupil and methods to provide for his needs. For the purposes of this report, superior pupils are defined as rapid learners in academic subjects. They are the pupils in the upper 20 percent in general intelligence whose abilities lend themselves readily to intellectual pursuits. This report…