The B. F. Day Elementary School in Seattle (Washington) exemplifies positive changes that can be made with principal leadership and teacher involvement. The school is one of six Seattle urban schools receiving federal and state support for educating homeless children under the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. (SLD)

Reviews research on remedial education. Examines three questions: (1) what is known about effective methods of providing remedial instruction; (2) how can student success and/or failure be accounted for; and (3) what instructional strategies are most effective. (CFR)

Explores the complexity of developing and identifying national curriculum content standards. This article introduces other articles on developing standards for studies in mathematics, social studies, English, the sciences, and advanced placement studies. The challenges for national standards are examined with awareness of the importance of these…

Explores why community services learning (CSL) is the right thing to do for professional renewal, enrichment, and meaning. Examples are given from Gig Harbor High School (Washington). The role of CSL in changing school cultures is also examined. Service learning is a path to better ways to educate. (SLD)

Efforts must be made from inside the teacher education classroom to retain minority students and increase their success in completing credential programs. After explaining why there is a shortage of minority teacher education students, the paper presents five essential skills for preparing and retaining minority teacher candidates. (SM)

Discusses questions of school climate and parental involvement that must be considered if general education is to assume the responsibility of educating African-American students with special needs. Practical suggestions are given for professionals deciding the proper place to educate African Americans with special needs. (SLD)

In this study, native speakers assessed 30 students' gain in Spanish skills over a seven-week period of study in Mexico. Results indicate that 22 improved significantly in some aspect of Spanish. Students, especially beginners, who reported more informal interactive contact showed greater gain; beginning and advanced students reporting more…

Examined whether there are differences between low-achieving students referred and those not referred for special education. Found that differences reflected factors external to the child: the propensity of his or her teacher to refer, family mobility, and tardiness. (Author/LPP)

Presents the experience of an English instructor who worked with members of the Physics Department to revise a technical physics class. Discusses the impact of learning communities at Henry Ford Community College (Michigan) on faculty development, student performance, and institutional culture. (VWC)

Asserts that governance of U.S. schools is decentralized, and extremism not a part of the curriculum. However, American schools would be more effective if students understood their place and behaved more politely, if trying hard were routine behavior, and if public education were more highly valued. (23 references) (MLH)

Four sections of an undergraduate pharmacy communications course were randomly assigned to include either a traditional laboratory project or a service-learning project. Data collected late in the semester revealed significant positive changes for the service-learning participants in cognitive complexity, social competency, perceived ability to…

A study found that college service learning is more effective as a civic and academic pedagogy when students have: (1) at least 15 to 20 hours of service; (2) frequent contact with the beneficiaries of their service; (3) weekly in-class reflection; (4) ongoing and summative written reflection; and (5) discussions of their service experiences with…

A study examined academic achievement and persistence of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) high school students in one urban Alberta (Canada) school district for 1991 to 1996, including analysis of student records and interviews with former students and ESL and mainstream teachers. Results indicate 46% of ESL students did not complete studies…

The theme issue of the journal contains 30 articles concerning educational strategies and initiatives designed to strengthen the preparation and recruitment of students for medical education. Most of the articles describe specific programs at the elementary, secondary, higher, and graduate education levels. Others explore aspects of medical…

Lists 20 basic instructional principles for increasing academic success of at-risk learners, including maintaining high expectations, administering praise, using learning technologies, teaching learning strategies, accommodating learning styles, teaching vocabulary directly, establishing an experiential base for learning, encouraging cooperative…