This study reports grade, gender, and environmental (school structure) differences in self-reported use of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana among urban black adolescents. Among the results are the following: (1) an equal percentage of males and females reported having "tried" cigarettes and alcohol; (2) males reportedly smoked more cigarettes…

This description of the research, the development of state laws, and the origins of practices attempting to restore safe schools suggests that there was a relationship among research, policy, and practice. The Congress of the United States enacted the Safe School Study Act in 1974 to ensure a safe environment for education. In response to this…

Concern for the dropout phenomenon among secondary learning disabled (LD) students led to a preliminary study of an urban school's decision-making structures, as well as events that influence ninth graders' behavior and decisions, increasing their risk for dropping out of high school. Data were collected from three sources: observation of school…

This monograph documents the magnitude and likely prognosis of demographic changes in the 1970's and suggests the impact of these trends on the problems of early childhood education. The implications of this changing environment for designing a new Follow Through program are also examined. With respect to the changing demographic environment,…

The findings are presented of a study designed to identify and examine factors and variables related to mathematics learning among blacks, both those with a quantitative orientation and those without such an orientation. Four sample populations were studied: junior high school students, senior high school students, college students, and adult…

The information in this packet has been selected for the purpose of assisting educators in their efforts to create and sustain effective schools for all students. The articles in Section I, "Overview and Resources," contain statistical profiles assessing minority progress, research information on the effects of desegregation, and…

Use of multiple data sources for evaluation of faculty performance by the DeKalb County (Georgia) School System is described. Focus is on two evaluations, the administrator evaluation and the counselor evaluation; the former has been employed longer than any other component of the evaluation system, while the latter is scheduled for its second…

Sociologist Willard Waller, writing more than 50 years ago, framed many of the key ideas found in contemporary literature on school organization. This paper is both an appreciation and criticism of Waller's seminal case studies of social interaction in schools. The paper is divided into four sections. The first two explore Waller's thought and its…

A comparison of Middle Tennessee Rural (MTR) schools with the national sample of schools included in Kappa Delta Pi's Good Schools Project (GSP) focused on the areas of curriculum perspectives, goal attainment, classroom practices, interpersonal relations, commitment, discipline and safety, support services and facilities, and decision making. The…

A Teachers Corps staff development project involved the collaboration of a school district, the community, and a college of education in a variety of activities designed to improve school climate and to reduce teacher stress. Descriptions are given of the needs assessments conducted among school staff, students, and community members from the…

An analysis is presented of a review of research reports on the efficacy of direct instruction in fostering basic skills development. The review process began with a topical literature search using the ERIC database and conventional library methods. Articles and other documents were analyzed and abstracted into "Item Reports." Each of…

This checklist was developed to aid elementary school principals in long range planning for the school year. It is the product of the Management for Effective Teaching (MET) Project, which is funded by the Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools, and which is responsible for developing materials to help to implement objectives of the Program of…

This text was developed for the use of beginning student teaching interns and their supervising teachers. The text employs a case study method for introducing topics and events, pertinent to the student teaching experience, for discussion. Case studies are presented by topic, each with a brief general introduction and suggestions for supervising…

This book presents the results of research on sociopsychological factors that affect the schooling process and academic achievement among young children. The first chapter of the report provides a background on schooling, and reviews what is known and what remains to be discovered about academic achievement. Chapters 2 and 3 review research on…

This report evaluates the initial year of a project implemented in 15 elementary and 5 junior high schools in Cleveland in support of the schools' efforts to install effective school procedures designed to upgrade students' basic skills and academic achievement. The report deals with the following areas: (1) district support for the project; (2)…