"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Telling Tales Out of Charter School: What Educators and Policymakers Can Learn from the Successes and Failures of Charters (Robert Rothman); (2) One Charter School's Formula…

The results of this study conclude that there is a multidimensional basis for test score inferences on the mathematics and critical reading sections of the SAT. Results from the exploratory analyses indicate that the data are multidimensional, as mathematics displayed two dimensions and critical reading displayed three dimensions. The correlations…

Describes British study that monitored and evaluated the cognitive development and academic attainments of Down's Syndrome children ages 3-10 over a two-year period. Comparisons with mainstream schools and special schools are made in the areas of children's expressive language, comprehension, numeracy, verbal fluency, drawing ability, and reading.…

Presents a study to investigate the prevalence of mathematics anxiety in Navajo middle school students (n=358) and to explore possible relationships between learning styles and mathematics anxiety and achievement. Multiple regression procedures indicated that spatial ability and mathematics achievement were negatively correlated to mathematics…

Results of a comparison of Papua New Guinea bilingual and monolingual students' (n=232) mathematics achievement indicated that bilingual students competent in both languages scored significantly higher on two different types of mathematical tests than both low-competent bilingual students and monolingual students. (32 references)

Presents a program to introduce fifth graders to everyday economic life by constructing a true-to-life simulation of an economic community. Students apply mathematics skills to managing a checking account, calculating electric bills, and managing shops using computers. (MDH)

Describes the method of having children observe videotapes of other children's mathematics activities to gain insights into the observing children's thought processes and the observed children's activities. Discusses the applications of this method as a research tool and as a probe for classroom teachers in evaluating students. (MDH)

Compared the problem-solving and computational skills of first-grade students whose teachers had participated in staff development to learn to teach using a Cognitively Guided Instruction framework to first-grade students whose teachers had not. Students in experimental classes performed significantly better in solving word problems and completing…

Presents a collection of computer programs for teaching elementary and middle school mathematics. At the primary level, programs teach students skip counting, measurement, graphs, number patterns, place value, addition, and subtraction. An action game for the upper elementary level teaches mental math, geometry, statistics, addition,…

The School Improvement Grants Program is a British Columbia-based action research project to support efforts to raise literacy and math skills in public schools serving low-socioeconomic status neighborhoods. The program--which provides $25,000 in planning and implementation grants for each participating school over 2.5 years--began in 2001 and…

Computers running appropriate software hold great promise for teaching and learning mathematics. To this end, SRI International developed an integrated, computer-based problem solving environment called "Math Insight" that included interactive tools, such as a spreadsheet and dynamic geometric sketches, and professionally produced videos used to…

This document lists the industry-identified core academic knowledge and skills that should be possessed by all Georgia students who are enrolled in occupational cluster programs and are preparing to enter the work force or continue their occupational specialization at the postsecondary level. First, 63 related communications competencies are…

The purpose of this study was to characterize and compare novice and experienced elementary teachers' pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of three major topics in mathematics: whole number operation, fractions, and geometry. The study participants were 26 preservice elementary teachers and 28 experienced kindergarten through…

This study, using data from the National Study of Student Learning, examined whether participation in a collegiate work-study program was related to cognitive educational benefits. Data were collected from 2,485 entering students at 23 institutions nationwide in the fall of 1992 with follow-up in the spring of 1993, of whom 494 (19.9 percent)…

Parkway Area Adult Basic Education Program formed a partnership with St. John's Mercy Medical Center, St. Luke's Hospital, Watlow Electric, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Literacy Council of Greater St. Louis to develop a model National Workplace Literacy Program. The instructional model developed under Project…