This digest discusses the nature of interactive videodiscs and their educational applications, provides information about educational uses of videodisc technology, and presents lists of videodisc-related organizations, books, and periodicals. A general description of a reflective optical laser videodisc is presented, as well as the equipment…

This digest describes a research model that has shown how classroom practice can be developed, transformed, and enriched by drawing on existing "funds of knowledge" in minority students households. Funds of knowledge refers to those historically developed and accumulated strategies (e.g., skills, abilities, ideas, practices) or bodies of…

Designed to demonstrate that the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) database is a useful source of information for educational practitioners at all levels, this digest provides an introduction to the ERIC system and describes the National Education Practice File Project (NEPF). This 2-year project was designed to find out from…

Most educational programs focusing on dialect differences are constructed to move speakers toward the standard variety of English. However, dialect study as language study in its own right introduces dialects as resources for learning about language and culture, with potential for language arts education. Systematic introduction of dialect…

This digest describes the organization of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and what is included in a typical NAEP assessment. The way in which the NAEP selects students for assessments and how the assessments are used are discussed. The NAEP is a congressionally mandated project of the National Center for Education…

This digest provides a brief overview of a research project carried out by the National Center for Research on Cultural Diversity and Second Language Learning on integrating language and culture in the social studies. It is suggested that there is a need to understand the academic language competencies necessary for students to function…

This digest examines the organization of and international studies conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The IEA is a non-profit, private association that conducts international comparative studies on schools and aids the research community in developing international tests and statistical…