Picture books are useful tools for teaching many abstract and complex concepts of the social studies at the elementary level. They allow students to develop visual literacy through sustained viewing time necessary for exploration, critique, and reflection on the images portrayed. Numerous examples of picture books are presented to support such…

A study reviewed recent research on issues central to adult learning, learning disabilities, and study skills in seven important areas--reading and listening, writing, arithmetic, memory, metacognition, representational competence, and perceived competence. The review focused on recent findings that had direct implications for the assessment and…

To successfully reach out to a diversity of learners requires substantial support. The Digest addresses some sources of support intended as a complement to and a scaffold for teachers and administrators who experiment with different ways of meeting a diversity of learning needs. It highlights ways in which classroom teachers and learning center…

Based on the premise that the fairy tale genre can be effectively used as the content base for teaching reading, writing, and thinking skills and processes, this book offers educators ideas and techniques that promote multiple intelligences, critical thinking, creative problem solving, and problem- and product-based learning. Drawing on Bloom's…

This newsletter issue focuses on how consumers with disabilities find and access information. The importance of dissemination of research findings to consumers is stressed in a statement by John D. Westbrook, Director of the National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR). The first article suggests that often research results…

This paper discusses some of the promises and pitfalls confronting education in the Information Age. It explores the business motivation that drives the education agenda, examines what some futurists call "the end of the job," and identifies four themes that could help transform education as the millennium approaches. Critical literacy,…

The report details results of a research project to monitor and map the literacy development of three learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) studying in an Australian English program for adult migrants. The objective was to gain a longitudinal picture of their reading and writing development over a period of nine months. Five additional…

In 1996, teacher educators at the Jackson State University School of Education (Mississippi) implemented the Technology Infusion Project (TIP) for core academic subjects. The project consisted of a comprehensive multimedia computer training program to enlighten participating preservice teachers on how to deliver instruction in English, the arts,…

This paper explores the development of a set of indicators devoted exclusively to the school to work transition. The indicators described are directed at monitoring a geographical area as a whole, whether it is the nation, state, or a local community. Developing a set of indicators is linked to making judgments about the impact we expect new…

This final report describes findings of a 3-year study on the effects of an Interactive Technology Literacy Curriculum (ITLC) on emergent literacy knowledge and abilities of children (ages 3 to 5) with mild to moderate disabilities. Using a case study approach, 16 preschool classes in four types of classrooms in West Central Illinois communities…

This study, part of a larger research project, explored the knowledge and attitudes of the general population regarding cloning. Such awareness of the general public's knowledge of important science topics, attitudes toward such topics, and sources from which people retrieve information can help scientific and educational communities develop…

This report presents a profile of the populations served by vocational education (VE) programs, comparing their literacy skills, demographics, and socioeconomic characteristics with those of students in other education tracks. Chapter 1 provides an introduction. Chapter 2 compares students enrolled in postsecondary VE programs with students…

This study documented implementation of the First Steps program, which provides additional support for development of literacy and numeracy among "at-risk" students in Western Australia schools, in twelve schools in different parts of the state, varying in population composition, and with different forms of support in adoption of First…

This study examined technological literacy patterns and the process of inquiry in a student-centered summer program designed around inquiry and Internet utilization. Five case studies consisted of various configurations of fifth grade students from a variety of educational backgrounds. A qualitative approach to research was implemented using…

The 1996-97 school year marked the third year of a 4-year grant from the Texas Education Agency's Division of Adult and Community Education for funding the ASPIRE/Even Start program operated by Communities In Schools-Central Texas Inc. (CIS). The broad purpose of Even Start is to help break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy in families by…