In February, 1985, the Ford Foundation launched an experimental program to strengthen mathematics education in inner-city high schools. Five grants helped establish urban mathematics collaboratives (UMC) in Cleveland, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Later, additional UMCs were set up in Durham, Memphis, New…

The 18 papers in this collection describe approaches that practitioners and experts have found successful in using technology as a tool to improve learning. Individual chapters are: (1) "Where Do We Go Now That the Power's On?" (Frank Withrow); (2) "A Curriculum for the Information Age" (Mary Alice White); (3) "Developing…

This guide lists 19 software packages considered to be worthy of further consideration by other reviewing agencies and schools by a group of 17 computer coordinators from educational software preview centers and evaluation agencies. The following software is listed: (1) ASK-IT, an authoring tool; (2) Balance of the Planet, an environmental…

This final report evaluates California State University's (CSU) Summer Bridge and Intensive Learning Experience (ILE) programs, which are remedial/developmental programs providing basic skills instruction, orientation, and advisement to entering CSU students at risk of dropping out. The underlying objective of both programs is to increase the…

Instruction in Manitoba's French-language schools is described in this public information document. The content was originally published as a series of eleven articles on developments in the curriculum. The articles discuss aspects of the design and content of the curriculum, including the balance of play and work, learning communication skills,…

This collection contains the keynote address and several presentations that were delivered at a University of Minnesota conference on issues in early childhood education. Keynote speaker Rheta DeVries discussed three tasks facing the educator who is learning to be a constructivist teacher: understanding the nature of the child's mind; overcoming…

Reasons for poor performance in mathematics by students in the United States are discussed. According to the authors, too many students never experience arithmetic at a physical, concrete level. Students are drilled in arithmetic facts without any meaningful context and are given few opportunities to use numerical concepts in real-life…

Based on the premise that psychology can be an invaluable tool to mathematics educators, this book highlights how informal mathematics develops, how children construct their view of school arithmetic, and how mathematical thinking operates. The ideas offered are intended to assist teachers in making informed decisions concerning mathematics…

Developed for use primarily with middle school age students, this introductory booklet provides a sample of innovative activities that integrate mathematics skills with science processes. The investigations employ a wide variety of readily available and easily understood materials. The 25 activities are sequenced from simple to complex according…

In an effort to help determine the processes underlying the acquisition of various mathematical skills, this study examines some of the effects of computer based instruction on achievement in mathematics. The research reported in this document is based on the following questions: (1) what is the relationship between such attributes as sex,…

The Program for Research in Teaching and Learning of the National Science Foundation (NSF) supports basic and applied research on what NSF considers to be the most significant factors that underlie effective teaching and learning in science and mathematics at all levels. This document provides descriptions of projects funded during fiscal years…

This document is the first of three volumes of the proceedings of an international seminar which focused on student misconceptions in science and mathematics as well as teaching strategies intended to deal with those misconceptions. An introduction to the volume explains the format of the conference and the organization of the sessions. It…

This is a series of research projects that can be used for enrichment of the middle school mathematics curriculum. It is suggested that the topics are either not found in the standard curriculum or represent a more indepth study of standard topics. The areas considered are: microcomputer programs; divisibility; magic squares; pentominoes; the…

Students make many choices over a long period, and choose a career through a complicated process. This process includes formal instruction in mathematics and science, and the opportunity for informal education in museums, science centers, and recreational programs. The influence of family, teachers, peers, and the electronic media can make an…

Presented is a detailed plan of action directed toward the Nation's achieving world educational leadership (as measured by student achievement, participation levels, and other non-subjective criteria) in mathematics, science, and technology in elementary/secondary schools by the year 1995. Sweeping and drastic changes are proposed in the breadth…