Examines second and third grade data from Project STAR, a reduced class size study. Observers viewed teachers, some of whom received inservice training on effective teaching and class type. Observers' narratives and ratings of class activities and interaction indicated little change in teaching practices regardless of class type or training. (SM)

A K-8 school owned and operated by the Minneapolis-based Tesseract Group (formerly Educational Alternatives, Inc.) has partnered teachers and parents in decisions concerning curriculum and instructional strategies. Class enrollment is capped at 24, and two state-licensed teachers work in each classroom to help students complete projects for…

A survey examined the perceptions of 404 mothers on the availability and importance of various resources for their children (ages 4-17) with Asperger syndrome or nonverbal learning disorder. A significant number (20-30%) reported that pragmatics training, social skills training, smaller classes, or a trained aide were not made available. (Contains…

The Production Workshop Project was designed to promote the educational rehabilitation of selected ninth-grade students. Programs in block-scheduled academic instruction were integrated with vocational training in a Production Workshop setting. The 1971-72 Project activities served a total of 243 students--117 boys and 126 girls. Approximately 68…

In 1996, a Winston-Salem principal closed a failing alternative school and developed a new program dedicated to helping at-risk kids succeed. The result was LEAP (Learning and Acceleration Program) Academy, a school that helps academically unstable middle-school students catch up to their peers by completing two years of academic course work in…

Reducing K-3 class size is highly recommended and broadly supported, though there are challenges with finding enough qualified teachers and providing enough classroom space. Research indicates that K-3 students in smaller classes do better academically, with minority and low-income students showing the greatest gains. The paper examines…

Staff and students at small regional campuses often consider them to be a learning environment with many advantages. Students can benefit from the opportunities for enhanced access to staff provided by factors such as small classes and a compact campus. International students from non-English-speaking backgrounds are one group for whom these…

Behind this discussion of minority achievement is a story of one who transcended poverty and rose to the top of American education. Carol Swain advises that a student from a poor family should not be penalized because her parents are not able to involve themselves in school. This and other recommendations on policy reflect a profoundly personal…

Innovations which were incorporated into large, introductory, educational psychology lecture classes are described and compared to smaller classes that did not make use of the innovations. Four innovative pedagogical techniques are used: (1) a mastery approach, (2) formative evaluation, (3) a modified pyramid-like structure using small group…

Class size reduction has been shown to, among other things, improve academic achievement for all students and particularly for low-income and minority students. With the No Child Left Behind Act's heavy emphasis on scientifically based research, adequate yearly progress, and disaggregated results, one wonders why all children aren't enrolled in…

In 1992, a collaboration of educational reform organizations, the New York City Board of Education, a teachers' union, and private funders created a model of urban high school reform that was practitioner-driven. Two failing high schools, one in Manhattan and one in the Bronx, were phased out while 11 new, small autonomous high schools were…

An elementary school combined earmarked federal and state funding, redistributing the money to pay for additional regular classroom teachers. The result was significantly lower class sizes and a better climate for student learning. All it took was the inspiration, a commitment, and a few waivers.

The use of recent college graduates as volunteer teachers has increased in recent years with the growth of the Teach for America program and alternative middle schools for at-risk children from low income homes. Very few studies to date have investigated the effects of the use of such teachers on student learning and engagement in school. The…

During the past several decades, educators have been experimenting with a variety of humanistic innovations to enrich students' academic, social, and emotional growth. These innovations include mainstreaming, inclusion, and detracking, and their intent is to reach out to all students, especially at-risk learners. To reach out, however, requires…

The More Effective Schools project, an effort to make the schools better able to solve the basic reading and arithmetic problems of disadvantaged children, brought about a reorganization and expansion of the teaching and administrative staffs of elementary schools in New York City. The combined black and Puerto Rican population in the project…