Explored how Irish girls from different social classes negotiated the transition from elementary to secondary education and how their classed and gendered identities were produced and reproduced during the transition. The transition was especially challenging for working class girls who experienced emotional pain and loss in leaving familiar…

A three-step plan to improve attendance at Aurora Central High School, Colorado, has successfully reduced truancies to less than 1.25 percent. Students with exemplary attendance are exempt from taking final exams; chronic truants are suspended; and all students are required to do makeup work for all absences. (MLF)

Homework problems of 82 secondary school students with behavior disorders and 114 students without disabilities were compared, using teacher and parent ratings on the Homework Problem Checklist. Students with behavior disorders were perceived as having more homework problems on all checklist items. Implications for research and practice are…

Suggests that teachers require students to read and take notes prior to class discussion of a topic. Contains note-taking requirements and some student reactions. (MKR)

This study surveyed the use of laptop computers by 10 college students with visual impairments. Students used the computers about 10 to 15 hours a week to complete assignments as well as to take notes in class. The laptops fostered students' independence and improved their efficiency. (Author/DB)

Teachers and parents of 45 students (ages 8-17) with learning disabilities completed the Homework Problem Checklist. The study found that students with learning disabilities experienced nearly two and a half times the level of difficulty with specific homework problems as their nondisabled peers. (JDD)

It is inappropriate to judge high school teachers' failure rates without making appropriate modifications to reflect student-caused failures. Devising an adjusted failure rate addresses this problem. If properly placed students with 10 or more days absent and 10% or more missing homework assignments are removed from failure numbers, the…

States that the focus of homework should be a positive social interaction with parents with gradually increasing independent responsibilities. Provides examples of activities for writing, spelling, and speaking homework that provide opportunities for real literary activities in the home. (MG)

Describes a study performed to assess the impact of homework collection in college intermediate algebra courses. Two groups of students (n=108) were evaluated: one group did not turn in homework assignments and one did. Results showed a significant difference between the two groups in the number of A's earned, with the latter group performing…

Studied homework characteristics and effectiveness in mathematics education for secondary school students using a sample of 1,394 Dutch students in 28 schools. Results show a lack of policy directed at coordination and increase of homework. Amount of homework was the only homework variable related to achievement. (SLD)

Presents findings of research on homework and translates these findings into recommended practices for speech-language pathologists. Suggestions for enhancing homework effectiveness are presented, such as explaining why the homework is being assigned and providing regular assignments. An example of a language development homework assignment is…

To improve homework quality in the classroom, teachers should clear up homework fogginess and use strategies for success, including creating goal-directed assignments, balancing homework, allowing time to finish assignments, viewing homework-assignment time as part of the learning process, helping students organize their homework, and helping…

Tested a model of the influence of homework on classroom performance using a sample of 429 students in grades 2 and 4, their parents, and their 28 teachers. Data reveal the critical role of parents in both the homework process and the success of elementary school students. Positive parent involvement in homework was the strongest predictor of…

Homework substantially affects high-school students' achievement, benefits junior-high kids only half as much, and elementary kids negligibly. Homework can be an effective teaching tool when districts, schools, and teachers flex and coordinate their policies, stress developmentally appropriate assignments, and try alternatives to homework.…

Today's after-school programs and sports are often year-round activities, and children are pressured to focus on one activity to the exclusion of others. Homework for students who attend highly competitive high schools can take three to five hours per night. Not only schools, but the whole culture is different. People listen to music through…