This report discusses the importance of and bases for initiatives to enhance students' social, emotional, and behavioral performance as an essential facet of improving academic performance. Research on comprehensive approaches for addressing barriers to learning is still in development. Data from natural experiments underscore societal inequities…

In answer to the concerns about school violence in the United States (especially since the tragedy in 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado), this Internet curriculum offers lessons and resources that address the topic of school violence and its causes, as well as the search for solutions. The curriculum presents four world wide web…

Group seminars, or small discussion groups, support cooperative reflection between teachers, expose interns to new perspectives, help them develop professional relationships, and allow time for them to expand and deepen their reflective analysis of everyday occurrences. A group of 15 student teachers in an early childhood program at one university…

Argyle and Kendon's model of social skills provided the framework for examining the relationship between verbal and nonverbal aspects of the performance of 77 female student teachers at a British physical education college. (Author/RM)

Major findings of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study concerning student and teacher behavior and classroom climate are summarized, and their implications for teacher educators are addressed. Prospective teachers should understand concepts such as academic learning time, self-monitoring, and feedback. Teacher educators also could use these…

Sixty teachers in Catholic schools who had previously taught in public schools perceived eight common components of organizational climate in schools: staff relationships, goal orientation, religious dimension, student behavior, principal's leadership style, parent interaction, number of students and work conditions. Catholic schools rated…

Reports results of project which investigated effects of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on the best and worst behaved and best and worst achievers among 120 English eighth graders. Results suggest that CAI is particularly beneficial for high achievers and delinquent students because of the individualized nature of the instruction. (EAO)

Sixty teachers in Catholic schools who had previously taught in public schools perceived eight common components of organizational climate in schools: staff relationships, goal orientation, religious dimension, student behavior, principal's leadership style, parent interaction, number of students and work conditions. Catholic schools rated…

Details the results of four tests comparing the French and English achievement of francophone, anglophone, and mixed subpopulations of fifth-grade students in Edmonton Catholic School System French immersion programs. Discusses the behavioral, cognitive, and academic correlates of language competence of the three subgroups. (SB)

Study data indicate that secondary school students lacking the presence of both parents exhibit higher risk health behaviors than do students with both parents. Variables such as smoking behavior, blood pressure levels, and weight gain and loss were studied. (CJ)

A longitudinal investigation is being conducted to examine commitment to science (attitudes) and science achievement among adolescents (N=4,500) in relation to individual/family/school influences. Addressed are the investigation's theoretical framework and major variables. Data analyses will serve to explain relationships among…

Degree of lesson complexity was examined and related to the type of approach used by eighth grade teachers. Results indicated that teachers adapt to the perceived complexity of class activities and to students' behavior cues, using direct instruction more frequently in mathematics and science than in the humanities and language arts. (Author/PP)

A study investigated the amount of academic learning time students at several Quebec elementary and secondary schools made use of during regular physical education classes. It further explored three major time-related variables: (1) specific content area; (2) learner time engaged with relevant material; and (3) student success rate. (Authors/PP)

A self-awareness checklist is provided for teachers to assess the safety of their classroom environment. Aspects of school safety included in the checklist are: student behavior policies, teacher responsibility, facilities and equipment maintenance, and planning for emergency procedures. (FG)