Minority group students perform less well than White students in elementary mathematics and science education. Strategies for increasing learning for minority students include the following: (1) greater use of textbook illustrations; (2) career strand applications; (3) community field trips; (4) textbook supplement through multicultural resources;…

Contends that understanding history is more than remembering isolated facts: it involves interpreting, hypothesizing, and evaluating. Provides recommendations for preparing elementary students for the California Learning Assessment System (CLAS). (CFR)

Recent work in small-group computer-based training (CBT) reveals that the approach does not necessarily lead to higher achievement. Many of the studies, however, have methodological weaknesses. If proper guidance and structure can be provided to group members, using small group CBT should lead to higher achievement than individual CBT. (Contains…

Describes the experiences of a teacher participating in a summer workshop held by the Institute for Education That Is Multicultural. Increased parent participation and performance assessment were integral parts of a pilot project that resulted in improved achievement and parent and student attitudes in an urban school. (SLD)

Examines whether or not communication strategies (CS) can be taught and suggests reasons for the controversy surrounding the teachability of CS. Also reports on a study of CS training with Hungarian secondary students, the results of which suggest that quantity and quality of learners' use of CS does improve with focused instruction. (Contains 62…

Reports on a study of 126 secondary English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students' transfer of essay organization skills between languages (Icelandic and English). Pre- and posttest proficiency scores were analyzed. It was concluded that students' success in transferring writing skills between languages is assisted by their grammatical proficiency…

Examined six aspects of vocabulary instruction given to fourth and sixth graders prior to reading in two basal reading series. Found that words targeted for instruction were already known; instruction in the two series differed markedly; much of the instruction was not sufficient to improve comprehension; and instruction was not necessarily suited…

Discusses why Japan has participated in the international cooperative studies sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Asserts that Japanese educators want to compare not only content acquisition but also measures of cognitive learning. (CFR)

Reports a study of third- and fifth-grade students' perceptions of their physical education programs at two urban alternative schools. The students highlighted goals such as cooperating with others, challenging themselves, and taking risks. They reported several success factors, especially trusting each other, problem solving, attitudes toward…

Asserts that, among the many disadvantages suffered by children cared for by public agencies, low educational achievement has the most serious consequences for their future life chances. Reports that research findings on young people previously in care confirm that education is crucially important for the quality of their adult life. (CFR)

Describes two minority educators' approaches to literacy teaching, discussing the literacy debate and cultural relevance. The article examines common threads that make the educators' pedagogy appropriate for teaching African-American students successfully. The article examines how and why teachers of African-American students achieve success. (SM)

A study with 118 male and 87 female junior high school students in Spain using a scale developed to assess anxiety among Spanish students associated with learning a second language found a relationship between low anxiety and superior performance in the second language (English). The scale obtained predictive validity. (SLD)

Describes policies and practices found in each of the participant countries in the Second International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement Science Study that could foster development of practical laboratory process skills. Topics include (1) science curriculum; (2) science teacher; (3) science facilities; and (4) learning by…

Information is presented about the educational systems of countries participating in the practical skills testing portions of the Second International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement Science Study, drawing on accounts submitted by the participant nations Hungary, Israel, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the United States.…

Investigated factors that played a role in mediating the effects of the government-funded Child-Parent Center preschool program in Chicago. Results indicated that preschool influenced later achievement and retention indirectly rather than directly. A social context view of the transmission of preschool effects was supported. (LB)