The purpose of this practicum was to show the development and evaluation of a multi-unit elementary school (MUS-E) using Individually Guided Education. As an organizational structure capable of permitting planned change. MUS-E provides for the growth of its students on an individual basis, provides in-service for its teachers, involves the public…

The efficacy of a school district training parents to teach prereading skills to their four-year-old children through home-based learning activities was investigated. The method used to evaluate the effects of the experimental program was to test a sample of the experimental group and a control group upon matriculation to kindergarten in September…

Parents' views on the goals of early childhood programs and on characteristics of a high quality center were examined in a study that also investigated parents' understandings of quality in three different types of early childhood services. The study was part of a major project on the quality of early childhood centers, which was funded by the New…

This action research project evaluated a program for increasing parental involvement for 56 students in targeted first grade classrooms in an elementary school of 311 students. A review of literature showed that lack of parental and community support, undeveloped parent-teacher partnerships, time constraints, and uninviting school climates were…

In 1988, the East Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Parish School System implemented an education reform plan to reduce mandatory busing by offering a controlled choice plan allowing educational options. Two years later, parent and community involvement in schools has improved and white enrollment has increased. To understand why a few schools have had…

The purpose of this study was to determine the reactions of ninth-grade students to a three-week language arts minicourse program offered for three consecutive years at a junior high school in Minnesota. The students registered each year for one minicourse from a selection of approximately six. The courses were primarily activity centered and were…

This thesis reviews infant learning literature, describes infant education programs, and discusses Piaget's theory of development. Also presented is a curriculum model which is Piagetian in perspective and includes: (1) information on some psychological foundations of infant education; (2) a planning component explaining appropriate settings,…

This action research project sought to increase motivation in second- and fourth-grade students in an urban Midwestern school. Achievement and skill measures as well as observations indicated a lack of student participation and interest. Three areas of intervention were implemented: cross-curricular activities to heighten student interest,…

Hypothesizing that young students would exhibit fewer classroom behavior problems when engaged in activities linked to their strengths and interests, this study examined the use of Gardner's multiple intelligences to improve student behavior. Targeted were 20 students in prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade classrooms in two suburban…

Problems encountered by teachers in Lesotho in implementing the 1981 elementary social studies program were investigated. Twenty randomly selected urban and rural schools participated in the study. Twenty-four teachers and 10 parents answered questionnaires and the chairman of the National Panel for Social Studies was interviewed. Findings…

This action research project implemented and evaluated an intervention for increasing student engagement in learning to improve academic success. The targeted population consisted of students in four separate schools: pre-kindergarten and eighth graders in a large metropolitan area and fifth and eighth graders in a rural community. The lack of…

The 1971 Iowa School Foundation Plan for Financing Education was created to achieve goals of quality education, equity in financing education, efficiency, evaluation of local districts and the state system, and local flexibility. To analyze Iowa's success in meeting those goals, information gathered from 18 rural school districts and data from the…