With increasing attention focused on comprehension, there is a need for research regarding how to implement comprehension instruction for struggling readers and assess its effectiveness. This article describes reading instruction as it occurred over two years with one struggling reader in third and fourth grade. A comprehension checklist provided…

Practice and experience, whether simulated or on the job, are not enough to ensure effective learning. Learners must be able to make sense of those experiences to identify poor decisions and actions, missing knowledge, and weak skills that deserve attention. Using instructors to provide one-on-one instruction is effective but also expensive. This…

This paper reports the results of a pilot in-service teacher training program undertaken in China from 2001 to 2004. Upon completion, the in-service teachers were awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree (non-honor) specializing in English Language Education. Many interesting findings resulted from this pilot program. By integrating low- and…

The paper describes a classification system for adaptive methods developed in the area of adaptive educational hypermedia based on four dimensions: What components of the educational system are adapted? To what features of the user and the current context does the system adapt? Why does the system adapt? How does the system get the necessary…

Private tutoring is a widespread phenomenon in many developing countries, including Vietnam. Using the Vietnam Living Standards Surveys 1997-1998 and 1992-1993 for analysis, this paper finds evidence that private tutoring in Vietnam is a necessity in the household budget for both primary students and lower secondary students, and the trend to…

Experimental learning environments based on simulation usually require monitoring and adaptation to the actions the users carry out. Some systems provide this functionality, but they do so in a way which is static or cannot be applied to problem solving tasks. In response to this problem, we propose a method based on the use of intermediate…

Urban schools today face numerous challenges. Urban poverty; high mobility in and out of neighborhoods; schools with inadequate funding to cover the educational, social, and health needs of urban children and their families; and high teacher turnover are just a few of the vital issues that call for partnerships with communities, service agencies,…

This paper proposes a new bipartisan initiative to strengthen the effectiveness of U.S. social programs by focusing funds within each program on research-proven projects, practices, and strategies ("interventions"). The proposal seeks neither an increase nor decrease in overall program funding; rather, its central aim is to maximize the…

Closing the achievement gap between low- and high-achieving public school students is an important goal of public education. This article explores background information and research and discusses examples of best practices to close the achievement gap. Several plans have been proposed as ways to enhance the achievement of under-represented…

The Delta Adult Literacy Council, Inc. (DALC) is a volunteer, nonprofit organization that seeks to recruit, assess, train, match, and support volunteer tutors and adult new readers. Its accomplishments, its history as a literacy organization, and its tutor training process are described. The process of student recruitment and support involves…

This booklet presents tutoring strategies for use in the Read-Write-Now! Partners Tutoring Program, which assists school-age children, grades 1-6, in reading and writing. The booklet discusses general strategies, guidelines for effective tutoring, what to do during tutoring sessions, paired reading (including the basics and some "finer…

An intelligent advisor system is an adaptive system aimed at intervening when the user of any application software performs complex transfer tasks. An important aspect that needs to be taken into account when designing and developing an advisor system is the strategies and tactics used by the advisor to provide the user with an environment…

The "consultant" model for the writing center professional is especially appropriate when graduate students are the ones seeking assistance with their writing. For many academicians with backgrounds in the humanities and liberal arts, "consulting" is a term fraught with mystery. Many have never "consulted" and are not…

The general focus of a course on adult literacy and community service at a large state university was to increase students' understanding of adult literacy as a societal issue and to support their involvement as tutors in local adult literacy programs. To understand what students learned from their experience in the course, the instructors began…

This pamphlet describes the key elements necessary for a successful schoolwide or classroom-based tutoring program, explores the benefits for tutors and tutees, and explains the steps that are necessary for the effective training of tutors. The first section looks at peer and cross-age tutoring, including terms and definitions and the benefits of…