The recommendations set forth in "Developing Character: Transmitting Knowledge," a recent statement signed by prominent scholars and educators, are reviewed here for principals. The statement focuses on the importance of education for character development. (Author)

Reviews "A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform" and its companion document "The Nation Responds: Recent Efforts to Improve Education." Suggests these documents overemphasize educational reform for the purpose of helping American businesses cope with foreign competition, and that they lack enough solid…

This book is a guide to the standards for programs designed for gifted and talented students developed by the National Association for Gifted Students in 1998. The guide is intended to provide practical help to practitioners by including annotations that supply a rationale and further explanations for each standard. A standard statement,…

This paper provides a discussion of some of the dilemmas that face teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL). The author suggests that end-of-course assessments of ESL students should include a measure of growth, gain, or value-added, as well as measures of students' mastery of the English standards or English course criteria. Research has…

The students in California's classrooms live in a world of diversity. They eat unique foods, wear different types of clothes, live in different types of homes, and speak and hear many languages. This unit focuses on cultures, customs, ceremonies, traditions, foods, clothing, and shelter. These basic universal necessities of life--food, clothing,…

The purpose of this research was to describe how self-efficacy affects the development and science achievement of practicing teachers after their participation in a half day long hands-on science lesson provided by the Science on Wheels project. The 42 practicing K-8 teachers were from eight different counties located in a rural mid-eastern state.…

Achieving literacy, while often one of the greatest challenges a child can face, is one of the most important elements in building a base for success in education and in life. Three main strategies are found to be parts of the process of how children learn to read: (1) developing phonemic awareness through the use of phonics techniques; (2) being…

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…

The classroom should be organized for optimal pupil achievement. Learners should be free to view and read diverse forms and kinds of printed work in a relaxed atmosphere. An area in the classroom should be designated for large group instruction where pupils may work together as a unit. Another area in the classroom should be used to stress…

This report describes a program for improving student responsibility through increasing the effectiveness of students listening to and following directions. Targeted groups consisted of an eighth-grade applied computer technology class, a ninth-grade English class, a ninth-grade biology class, and an eleventh-grade applied physical science class.…

The purpose of this research was to describe and better understand the experiences of first- and second-year college students (18-21 years old) attending a university catering to a rural population in a mid-Eastern state. A 31-question survey addressed 6 areas of development: building friendships, community, exclusive relationships, self…

Children in a first grade classroom (n=17) participated in a program to develop listening and speaking skills in the elementary school classroom. The importance of listening and speaking to social, academic, and developmental needs is discussed. Various programs that produced increases in these skills were evaluated and integrated in a new…

This study examined the critical thinking skills of resident and commuter students during the freshmen year, controlled for precollege background and ability. Differences in commuter and resident students' experience, particularly aspects of academic and social integration were also considered. The study sample was a subset taken from a national…

Twenty papers on motivating college students are grouped into four sections: (1) the impact of teaching on student motivation; (2) motivating diverse students; (3) the impact of university practices on motivation; and (4) the impact of assessment on motivation. After an introductory selection by Sally Brown, Steve Armstrong, and Gail Thompson, the…

This curriculum framework for the arts defines expectations for student learning in the arts in New Hampshire. The framework standards do not comprise a curriculum with designated course offerings, teaching methods, or materials; instead, they provide a vision for the future, outlining expectations for student learning at the end of grades 4, 8,…