Using Walberg's educational productivity model, this study estimated the influences of home environment, motivation, ability, classroom environment, quality of instruction, and instructional time on mathematics outcomes using longitudinal data from the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS). SIMS was a comprehensive survey of the teaching…

Varsity student-athletes (SAs) in National Collegiate Athletic Association member institutions encounter obstacles to their academic achievement that non-athletes do not, such as time for physical training and practice, and travel away from campus for games. A program is described that provides support for SAs. The Student-Athlete Academic Support…

A lesson in writing stresses that pupils can choose what to write about in a nature setting. Answers to numerous questions arising when involving pupils in writing can be found in this activity, including: (1) how to motivate learners to write; (2) whether to teach specific writing skills as they write; (3) what guidance and assistance to offer on…

This book offers 80 original chants for teaching children to play with language, discover their ownership of language, and experiment with language. The book states that chants can provide a strategy that develops reading skills, ease in dramatic situations, sidebars in art work, communication abilities, awareness of self and environment, and…

As part of an effort to determine causes for student attrition, Virginia's Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC) conducted a study of 327 students in credit English courses in fall 1993. Students were administered a modified version of the Community College Student Experiences Questionnaire, which included 16 additional questions developed by…

This paper takes a ethnomethodological look at a typical Experiential Self-Empowerment Approach (ESA)-using speech class to see how the ESA uses 12 assumptions as background expectancies (Heritage, 1984) to accomplish personal growth in college public speaking classes. The following assumptions are addressed: (1) students deserve "something…

This annual serial volume contains 19 articles offering practical pedagogical ideas from faculty at New Hampshire technical colleges. The following articles are presented: (1) "Goodbye Mr. Desrochers or What I Learned While Teaching My First Lit. Course," by Diane Chin; (2) "A Teacher Learns: Building a Fly Rod," by Walter…

Developed by national reading experts for "reading partners" to use with children, ages birth to grade 6, this Spanish-language booklet presents activities that help very young children to get ready for reading and writing, and guide older children to expand their reading and writing interests and skills. The booklet has three sections,…

This book offers profiles of 30 high school students at Oak Park and River Forest (OPRF) High School, in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois. Located in a neighborhood characterized by great disparity among residents' incomes, the school is one of the country's premier secondary schools. The book was written by the school dean, who taught a…

The major challenges for educational reform today are assembling disparate pieces of information to create sustainable systemic change and "scaling up" systemic reform to encompass all schools, all programmatic areas, all levels of schooling and diverse social contexts. Mid-continent Regional Education Laboratory (McREL) has begun to organize its…

This study tested a causal model of vocational behavior developed by Astin (1984) that incorporated both psychological (work motivation and work expectations) and cultural-environmental (gender-role socialization and the structure of opportunity) factors. A questionnaire packet was administered to 113 faculty women and 103 faculty men.…

One of the most common worries children's parents have is how well their children are learning to read. Introducing children to the joys of reading depends not only on the teachers, but on the parents. The most effective way parents can teach children how to read and to love reading is to read to them and, later, with them. Jim Trelease, author of…

A study examined specific reading competencies after participating in Hmong literacy instruction in an after-school setting in the Thermalito, California School District, grades kindergarten through 4. Control and treatment groups were established to compare the English literacy skills of the Hmong students who participated in 40 hours of primary…

This study examines the effects of computer assisted instruction (CAI) on the inequalities in education among children of less privileged backgrounds. A natural science lesson was taught to 116 children at the fifth level of the Greek primary school. Subjects went to two different public schools, one of which was in a privileged area, and the…

In a unique class of combined elementary and secondary teacher education majors, this triangulated qualitative study investigated how cooperative structures affect student attitudes and motivation. In particular, the study examined students' preferences for instruction, students' attitudes and motivation related to their preference for cooperative…