In classrooms where all children become readers, teachers offer phonics, structured reading lessons, literature reading, story reading, and writing. Learning to read is influenced by frequent reading, knowledgeable teachers, writing, and discussing books. Parents can promote reading by providing language-rich environments, reading aloud, playing…

Analyzes obstacles facing multicultural/bilingual teacher education reform in the context of California's Crosscultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD) or Bilingual Crosscultural Language and Academic Development (BCLAD) programs, which try to translate theoretical frameworks concerned with cultural difference into credentialing policy.…

Describes a collaborative effort in Beaufort County (South Carolina) to provide middle school students with laptop computers. Student and teacher reactions are discussed; examples of language arts projects are described; and a sidebar offers suggestions for funding that include parental contributions, corporate and community sponsorships, and…

Discussion of hypermedia and computer-mediated communication focuses on a project that merges a language arts Internet resource with a hypermedia-based knowledge construction approach to learning. Highlights include constructing a HyperCard-based program on Shakespeare's "Hamlet," gophers and search engines, downloading, collaborative…

Provides five fully developed library media activities that are designed for use with specific curriculum units in elementary school reading and language arts and science, and secondary school social studies. Library media skills, objectives, grade levels, instructional roles, evaluation, and follow-up are described for each activity. (LRW)

This study examined the views of 176 kindergarten teachers regarding those skills children need to be successful in kindergarten. Teachers ranked 149 skills within 5 domains: gross motor, fine motor, general knowledge and school readiness, language, and social. Findings indicated that items related to academic readiness were not seen as critical…

Illustrates how Radial Basis Function (RBF) network techniques can be used to explore questions concerning authorship of historic documents. Demonstrates the utility and potential for using quantitative techniques to assist in the decision-making process in relatively subjective disciplines. Compares RBF neural network techniques with more…

The need for more interdisciplinary training for professionals who deliver services to students with multiple disabilities was examined in a survey of 50 occupational therapists, 50 physical therapists, 50 speech-language pathologists and 50 teachers in clinical or educational settings in Kentucky. The survey found a need for interdisciplinary…

Eight preschoolers with moderate developmental disabilities were paired with typically developing peers who had been taught simple strategies to facilitate communicative attempts. Consistent improvements in social interaction by trained peers and target children were demonstrated. These improvements generalized when trained peers were assigned to…

Language samples from 14 students (ages 6-9 at study start) with communication disorders were obtained over a three-year period to determine the effectiveness of a language-in-the-classroom (LIC) intervention model. Results noted that students in the LIC model had more complete and intelligible utterances and fewer incomplete/unintelligible…

In the Even Start program, parents and children attended school together daily. Reflective logs, personal narratives, interviews, and group discussions revealed a dichotomy between mothers' identities as learners and as parents. Self-realization, dialogue, and caring emerged as primary factors in the development of constructive relationships. (SM)

Discusses the reaction of Vietnamese students to the spontaneous interaction and exchange that occurs in US classrooms. The article argues that teachers' lack of knowledge about their immigrant students' learning styles and strategies may result in teachers making inaccurate judgments about these students' classroom interaction behavior. (two…

Examines factors having a bearing on boy/girl performance in second-language classes in the United Kingdom. Findings indicate that boys attach less importance to learning a foreign language than girls do; girls are more conscientious about their schoolwork than boys are; expectations for boys and girls are different; and students value the…

In rural Guatemala, long-standing ethnic differences in economic well-being widened during 1988-95 despite rapid national economic growth. Analysis of data from three national surveys found that returns to education were substantially lower for rural indigenous households, especially those where the head of household did not speak Spanish.…

Discussion of the use of technology in primary grades focuses on a pilot project in the Orchard Park (New York) elementary schools that used computers to teach a nonfiction unit for English language arts, focusing on the New York State learning standards. Describes the role of school library media specialists and benefits to students. (LRW)