Even when studying the same measures of school performance, some educational researchers conclude that greater spending is useful in promoting student progress; others find little evidence that extra spending produces meaningful improvement in student performance. The studies in this book focus on two measures of educational effectiveness. Half…

This document reports on an evaluation of physical education programs in grades K-12 in Des Moines (Iowa). The document is divided into seven parts. Part 1, "Introduction," reviews the mission and philosophies regarding teaching physical education. Part 2, "Context Evaluation," summarizes Iowa state policies, standards, and…

This interdisciplinary packet of materials on mapping is intended for grades 7-12. The lessons are organized around themes: location, navigation, information, and exploration. Each lesson has an introductory text and two main activities. Students learn basic mapmaking and map-reading skills and see how maps help answer fundamental geographic…

The purpose of this guide is to provide educators throughout New York State with a convenient source of information on the network of federally funded technical assistance organizations. It begins with a brief consideration of four areas: (1) what technical assistance is; (2) principles of effective technical assistance; (3) when technical…

This study addresses some basic questions about students' strategies for seeking and using information from the World Wide Web. The questions pertain to the effects of environment and attitudes on students' use of online resources to find information and the development of a typology of strategies. The focus of the study was on describing student…

As K-12 schools connect to the Internet, a new method of communication opens up to educators and students. This updated digest describes some sample services and resources that are available to the K-12 community by electronic mail over the Internet. Information services and resources covered include: question answering services; listservs…

ChemSource is designed as a strategy to help preservice and inservice high school chemistry teachers promote student learning more effectively. Its major premise is that well-designed laboratory investigations are an important avenue for cultivating student interest, engagement, and meaningful learning in chemistry. The SourceBook component of…

This monograph is a resource for educators who wish to explore environmental problem solving. It consists of five parts. Chapter 1 presents a psychological perspective on problem solving and its implications for teaching problem solving skills in an interdisciplinary arena. Chapter 2 presents four approaches to developing environmental problem…

A study investigated the nature and extent of English curricula and resources available for English language learning in Taiwan's universities. Data were drawn from a survey of 18 coordinators of English programs for non-English majors (EPNMs) in Taiwan universities and from examination of course descriptions. Results indicate that all…

This paper examines the notion of whether computers can provide teachers with the necessary tools to alter the constraints of the traditional classroom and allow for constructivism and independent learning. The study was carried out at Methodist Ladies' College, a girls' school in Melbourne, Australia; information was collected through teacher…

This activity guide for grades K-12 reinforces the concepts of recycling, reducing, and reusing through a series of youth-oriented activities. The guide incorporates a video-based activity, multiple session classroom activities, and activities requiring group participation and student conducted research. Constructivist learning theory was…

This report suggests that immigrants and immigrant students have been considered and discussed as problems during political discourse and in educational circles rather than devoting energy to regarding immigrant students as a resource in international and peace issues and in ethnic relations. Part 1 provides a background discussion on what can be…

The growing population of "English-as-second language" (ESL) students in the United States need to learn how to cope with the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in the U.S. Because of this, civic education should pervade the curriculum for ESL students. This ERIC digest treats five facets of civic education for ESL students: (1)…

This digest provides facts and explanations about: (1) the peoples and places of the former Yugoslavia, including Bosnia- Hercegovina; (2) the collapse of Yugoslavia and the crisis in Bosnia-Hercegovina or "Bosnia"; and (3) the causes, conditions, and consequences of the Bosnian war. The history of Yugoslavia from 1918 to 1990 is…

This resource guide tells the story of Alaskan women and minority aviators and those in aviation-related businesses, from the early 20th century to the present. Developed for secondary students but also suitable for younger students, the guide combines six accounts of Alaskan women and minority aviators with classroom activities centered around…