Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

This article reviews research on the achievement outcomes of mathematics programs for middle and high schools. Study inclusion requirements included use of a randomized or matched control group, a study duration of at least twelve weeks, and equality at pretest. There were 102 qualifying studies, 28 of which used random assignment to treatments.…

The intent of this study was to reduce the numbers of off-task behaviors of a group of 32 sixth-grade students in an economically disadvantaged, urban, junior high school. The subjects of the study were given the materials (paper, the mathematics book, and pencils) and seated before the tardy bell. Following teacher graphing of each of the…

Generalizations arising from effective teaching studies are vulnerable because they are not based on a theoretical perspective of how learning occurs or can be improved, but have resulted from observations of what teachers appear to be doing when students are learning. Critics of teacher effectiveness studies contend that good instruction requires…

Research-based strategies for improving educational quality with limited resources include: (1) leadership by school administrators in making better student performance in the basic skills a goal for schools, (2) increased time on academic tasks, (3) redesign of the instructional program to focus on basic skills, (4) improved teaching practices,…

This research project was designed to explore ways of making computer text presentations more readable as a way of compensating for the constraints that computers impose on the display of text as compared with print-on-paper displays, e.g., limited screen resolution and display area. Forty-eight undergraduate teacher education majors enrolled in…

To confirm or refute impressions that primary grade children do little in the way of actual school work during the day, a principal conducted informal observations in several first and second grade classrooms. Each type of activity the children might perform, such as reading, coloring, or moving about the room, was grouped into three major…

A field experiment was conducted to determine whether descriptive-correlational results from classroom management research could be implemented by junior high school teachers, and whether such implementation would result in improved classroom management. An experimental group (18 teachers) received management manuals developed by researchers, and…

This study examines the effects of task arrangements and management systems on student engagement rates. It is argued that the complexity of classroom arrangements influences the form and content of management systems, and that management decisions impact levels of student engagement. Intensive observation of 63 third and fourth grade students…

This final report describes a 3-year project which investigated the relationship between academic learning time (ALT) and achievement in reading and mathematics of mildly handicapped students within the context of different special education delivery systems. Subjects were 24 educably mentally retarded, learning disabled, and emotionally disturbed…

Under consideration in this conference was the idea that prospective teachers should be assessed on the ability to perform teaching skills relative to each other and that overall patterns of skill performance, not separate skills, should be used as the organizing focus of teacher certification. James Raths, in "Teacher Traits Revisited:…

This study investigated differences occurring in student time utilization in three teachers' classes. In Class A, the teacher used a large group instructional mode; in Class B, the teacher used a small group instructional mode; and in Class C, the teacher used an individualized instructional mode. The subjects were 60 eighth grade students from a…

This study compared 52 resource room programs for mildly mentally handicapped, learning disabled, and severely emotionally disturbed secondary students, which used or did not use microcomputers. Benefits of microcomputer use included increased active task engagement and increased individually focused instruction, but overall differences in most…

Suggests, based on classroom observations, that teachers with a knowledge of reading research and the ability to organize instruction are better able to provide effective instruction for poor readers. Emphasizes the importance of increased time on reading tasks, direct instruction, and process writing activities. (ARH)