The idea of what "rural" means and the influence of this setting is very complex. The impact on the resources and services available to the family, school district, and community goes beyond geographic barriers. Despite there being known problems with service provision for children with hearing loss in rural areas, little is being done…

Healthful living has been a cornerstone of Seventh-day Adventist belief and practice almost from the very beginning of the church's history. The problem was that no one had studied the role healthful practices play in Seventh-day Adventist education using the entire Seventh-day Adventist student population. The correlations between four aspects of…

During summer vacation, many students lose knowledge and skills. By the end of summer, students perform, on average, one month behind where they left off in the spring. Participation in summer learning programs should mitigate learning loss and could even produce achievement gains. Indeed, educators and policymakers increasingly promote summer…

Despite long-term and ongoing efforts to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged and advantaged students, low-income students continue to perform at considerably lower levels than their higher-income peers in reading and mathematics. Research has shown that students' skills and knowledge often deteriorate during the summer months, with…

A former president of the American Federation of Teachers now says that, under the right circumstances, vouchers might help humanize schools. (Author/MLF)

A summer academy for high school students was developed--With a two week session and small class sizes, the academy provided an environment for teachers to address standards while promoting lasting change in students approach to their education. An effort to engage parents with the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" is sought so they…

Data from a 1994 longitudinal survey showed that parents' availability for school participation varied widely, depending on income and vacation benefits. At Princeton University, Alan Kruger and Diane Whitman concluded that smaller classes have greater effects on minority students' progress and college entrance-exam enrollment than on whites. (MLH)

Telephone surveys by the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools found that almost half the parents surveyed had themselves attended private schools and that, in switching their children to private schools, they sought more discipline, higher academic standards, more homework, smaller classes, more individual attention, and greater parent…

Although the number of urban Catholic schools has declined in recent years, Nativity model middle schools, first developed by the Jesuits over 35 years ago, have appeared throughout the nation to address the need for effective alternative education for urban children placed at risk. The present study compares the effectiveness of two types of…

Provides reasons why class size and school size are important school improvement ideas; highlights findings of selected research on class size and school size; relates personal teaching experience supporting benefits of both small classes and small schools; describes results of a study of an eight-teacher school-within-a-school in Chicago.…

This study evaluated the Class Size Reduction (CSR) program in 34 elementary schools in Kentucky's Jefferson County Public Schools. The CSR program is a federal initiative to help elementary schools improve student learning by hiring additional teachers. Qualitative data were collected using unstructured interviews, site observations, and document…

There is a strong relationship between students' socioeconomic status and their levels of academic achievement. Although educators should be held accountable for improving the performance of all students, including those living in poverty, schools alone can't eliminate the negative factors associated with poverty that lead to a large achievement…

This kindergarten through grade 2 program, intended to prevent the development of educational deficits, proposed to utilize the main features of the More Effective Schools and the All Day Neighborhood Schools programs in order to (1) increase the academic level of children in poverty areas, (2) involve the parents in that primary objective, and…

ADMINISTRATORS ARE ADVISED TO BRING TOGETHER VOLUNTARY AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN WELFARE, HEALTH, HOUSING, EDUCATION, AND EMPLOYMENT AS PARTICIPANTS IN DEVELOPING A COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM. AFTER ASSEMBLING ALL AVAILABLE INFORMATION ON THE POVERTY PROBLEM, THEY SHOULD DEVELOP A SET OF PROPOSALS TO ATTACK THE CAUSES OF POVERTY, CHOOSE A SPECIFIC…

Successful Ventura County schools know the best recipe for high achievement: fully credentialed, highly qualified, and motivated teachers; highly involved and well-educated parents; and adequate funding for smaller classes, professional development, and regular and alternative programs and facilities, topped off with excellent leadership. (MLH)