A University of Dublin (Ireland) curriculum restructuring project in the undergraduate second language program is chronicled, and ongoing curriculum development efforts are described. As a result of curriculum research, the university offered a series of freshman French and German courses in 1994-95 and a series of second-year courses to students…

The 307 schools funded by the Ohio Venture Capital program were the focus of a study on teacher empowerment. This paper focuses on the method used to maximize survey responses, rather than on the study findings. Data were sought from the building principals and 10,544 classroom teachers to create a "total picture" of the individual…

Programs targeting at-risk young adolescents, aged 10 to 15 years, were studied through a literature review and examination of issues related to evaluating programs for at-risk youth, and site visits to 9 programs at 6 locations. Chapter 1 introduces the study and its objectives, and chapter 2 reviews the literature on youth at risk. Chapter 3…

This report outlines the National Head Start Association's (NHSA) Quality Initiative, which is designed to promote and recognize practices of high quality in Head Start preschool programs. The Initiative recognizes that within the Head Start community there are four levels of quality: Needs Improvement, Adequate, Achievement, and Excellence. The…

This practicum was designed to provide expertise to five child development associates and ten teacher assistants working in two preschool programs for migrant children. Emphasis was on the enhancement of program-related planning, curriculum development, curriculum implementation, and reporting skills. Weekly inservice workshops were developed and…

Based on the belief that the transition from learning to read to reading to learn can be facilitated by tailoring learning experiences to individual preferences, this book describes an affective-based 3-week summer reading program for students entering first through sixth grades. The first part of the book describes the philosophy of the program,…

Family social isolation, conflicting workplace demands, inadequate and unaffordable child care, and parent and child needs have strained family life and have led to calls for parent support programs in Scotland. This report describes Year 1 of the Positive Parenting Project, designed to support parents in combating the effects of poverty in four…

This digest explores the possibilities of cost reduction in extending the coverage and upgrading the quality of preschool education especially in developing countries. The digest also seeks to highlight the importance of community participation in developing and managing preschool institutions and programs. Chapters cover the following topics: the…

A study was undertaken in 1981-83 to document the nature and extent of international studies and global awareness programs in elementary and secondary schools in the United States. The study involved a national survey of 1,300 principals in which the administrators were asked to identify the most pressing needs and obstacles to program…

A study examined issues of quality in corporate-sponsored child care centers for children up to the age of 6. The study used a combination of methods, including a literature review, telephone interviews with corporations sponsoring child care centers, and visits to 12 corporate-sponsored child care centers. The findings came under the four…

More Ph.D. mathematicians are going into teaching positions with relatively little training or experience in college teaching. This document reports on a project in which Ph.D. mathematicians were given teaching internships at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, in order to develop teaching skills, promote research activity, facilitate…

This report examines five programs that use peer support groups as the key element of their prevention or intervention efforts in preventing or reducing the incidence of substance abuse, school failure, and other problems of adolescence. Chapter 1 provides introductory material. Chapter 2 contains background information on the peer program…

This coordinator's handbook describes the "Rockin' Readers" program, in which senior-citizen volunteers are matched with specifically targeted at-risk children (usually of kindergarten age or slightly older) in Alachua County, Florida, who tested below their peer group in language development and reading readiness skills. The handbook…

A study described the 1992-93 Chapter 1 Children's Art Carnival (CAC) Chapter 1 Reading and Writing Program and assessed the effectiveness of its implementation. The program is an intensive holistic reading and reading-oriented arts program for Chapter 1-eligible students who have scored below the cutoff point in a standardized reading test or…

A 1-year demonstration project was conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to help remove or reduce barriers to the participation of low-income family day care homes in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). FNS funded six grantees to conduct a demonstration of three different strategies.…