Research indicates that the quality of teacher-student communication and interaction has a significant impact on student achievement. Areas in which effective communication strategies can be used include teaching methods, classroom management, and the emotional climate of the classroom. The most effective teaching method is "direct…

The objective and subjective determinants that influence the way elementary school teachers grade students were explored. A longitudinal study was made of 213 students in 6 elementary schools as the students progressed from the first to the third grade. Possible determinants for assigning grades included student acquisition of valuable skills as…

This report presents findings from ethnographic research that focused on factors which promote and impede educational opportunity for Punjabi Sikh immigrants in "Valleyside," an agricultural town in California. The report is divided into two parts. Part one considers the setting and the sociocultural context for schooling in…

This study focused on a comparison of the factor structures of the scores on l8 teacher competencies measured by both low-inference and high-inference observation. The observation inventories used were the Classroom Observations Keyed for Effectiveness Research (COKER) for low-inference observation, and the Teacher Performance Assessment…

This manual summarizes and highlights basic considerations in interviewing children. The relationship between interviewing for data collection and interviewing within the counseling or psychotherapeutic context is discussed. The Interviewer's Functional Checklist is presented to provide a method for self-evaluating interviewer behavior, and for…

Two studies on reintegration of behaviorally disordered (BD) students into general education classroom are presented. Part I, by S. Huntze, considers five basic assumptions underlying the concept of reintegration and the following five areas that need to be considered when matching student and classroom environment: physical setting, academic…

This guide presents procedures and supporting materials for conducting a training workshop on sex equity. Targeted at parents of elementary students, the workshop is intended to provide its participants with the background awareness and knowledge required to promote sex equity in their children's schools. The guide describes the content, process,…

Sexual harassment in student-teacher relationships at Iowa State University was investigated in 1981. A questionnaire was sent to 1,000 male and female undergraduate and graduate students, and 372 responses were received. One focus was to determine what types of teacher behavior students considered to be sexual harassment, and to what extent male…

The methodology and findings of the Law-Related Education Project's research reports which evaluated the effects on secondary students of law-related education (LRE), are discussed. A response to James P. Shaver's negative critique of the Law-Related Education Project's research studies also is provided. A detailed account of the research results…

A teacher training program, Gender Expectation and Student Achievement (GESA), seeks to produce equal interest and achievement in mathematics, reading, and language arts in boys and girls. The training model is designed to increase the achievement of both sexes and to reduce teachers' gender-stereotyped behavior. It includes teacher workshops,…

Prereferral intervention is designed to reduce referrals for special education placement, by modifying teacher instruction or management of difficult-to-teach (DTT) pupils prior to formal referral. A 3-year project is described in which Mainstream Assistance Teams offer consultation services to teachers in elementary and middle schools. The…

This paper argues that current practices in total communication classrooms have basically assigned the responsibility of communication to hearing-impaired students who must adapt to the variation in communication behaviors displayed by each of their teachers. The paper advocates use of a model communication and language policy designed to…

The study investigated alternative explanations for differences in reading achievement between pairs of handicapped students exhibiting comparable amounts of academic engaged time. Forty-six students in grades 2-4 from urban and suburban districts participated; 16 were classified as learning disabled (LD), 14 as emotionally/behaviorally disturbed…

Ninety-two learning-disabled children, aged 5-13, participated in an evaluation of the efficacy of a television-based social problem-solving curriculum. The 52 children in the curriculum group viewed 10 episodes from the "Inside/Out" series and participated in teacher-led discussions. The episodes dealt with expressing feelings, making…

This report of a study describes in detail attempts to change one kindergarten teacher's procedures for teaching reading. The aim of the study was to learn how practices observed in earlier classroom research could be improved. The more specific goal was to identify factors that facilitate or impede change. Subjects were a kindergarten teacher in…