Provides rationale for using trade books rather than textbooks for instruction in content areas. Describes a specific teaching strategy, which includes readiness, reading, and responses for encouraging the development of thinking skills and independent learning. (DST)

Tested an alcohol/drug education curriculum in 25 Nebraska junior high schools involving 1,800 students. Using teacher training and student age as independent variables, gains in knowledge and decision-making ability were assessed. Results showed teacher training was a critical variable in curriculum innovation, especially for older students. (JAC)

A study investigated cultural bias in the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, using 50 Anglo and 50 Mexican American University of Arizona education graduate students to rate all 46 verbal items. Results showed significant differences in the group ratings of 16 items on the opportunity-to-learn dimension. (MH)

American College Testing Program (ACT) scores, high school rank, high school GPA, high school algebra grades, algebra pretest score, sex, birth order, family size, and high school size were used to predict course grades in the first semester of college calculus. The best predictors were the algebra pretest and high school rank. (Author/BW)

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Early Childhood Education at a Crossroads: Access to Preschool Has Come a Long Way, but Critical Choices Lie Ahead (Deborah Stipek); (2) Bridging the…

Based on a trend study of 970 graduating seniors, this paper presents a model for designing senior survey research studies to achieve optimum impact on assessment and policy development. The paper demonstrates how the link between research and policy was achieved through the conceptual organization, design and statistical analyses of the study.…

Graduation rates are a fundamental indicator of whether or not the nation's public school system is doing what it is intended and funded to do: enroll, engage, and educate youth to be productive members of society. Graduation rates are not just a "bottom line" for schools--they are critical predictors of individual achievement and have undeniable…

The standards in this book will enhance teaching and learning. The list of the book's contributors reads like a "Who's Who" in the field of instructional supervision. These standards are practical, specific, and flexible, so that schools and districts can adapt them to their own contexts and goals. Each set also includes activities for…

The research effort reported in this document addresses the important national need for determining the validity of large-scale content assessments in English with students who are in the process of acquiring English as a second language. Often these students have been excluded from such assessments, but there have been recent, growing efforts to…

The "State ESEA ["Elementary and Secondary Education Act"] Title I Participation Summary Report for 2002-03" summarizes the participation data for the Title I, Part A, Grants to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) program. This program financially assists eligible school districts and schools in providing opportunities for at-risk…

The purpose of this study was to examine rural and non-rural students in order to understand similarities and differences between their learning styles and the ease with which they learned Algebra with a graphic calculator. Two samples of students, one from a rural high school and one from a non-rural one, answered a survey asking about their…

This brief provides statistical information on U.S. traffic accidents delineated by state. A map details the 2001 traffic fatalities by state and the percent change from 2000. Data tables include: (1) traffic fatalities and fatality rates, 2001; (2) traffic fatalities and percent change, 1975-2001; (3) alcohol involvement in fatal traffic crashes,…

Rural development is often presumed to rest on educational improvement, and high levels of mathematics achievement might seem essential to improving the quality of rural life and the viability of rural communities. Efforts to promote math achievement growth are usually limited to curricular and instructional innovations, while contextual factors…

Serving as a vehicle for raising the profile of and thereby gaining recognition for the important research and development work being conducted in Canada in support of children and families, the "Research Connections Canada" series compiles research and/or development papers as well as background papers, analytical literature reviews,…

A study examined rural students' academic aspirations and expectations, their perceptions of their parents' aspirations and expectations, and their parents' actual aspirations and expectations. Surveys were completed by 3,733 seventh grade-students in 54 schools in 17 West Virginia counties. Parent response rates were lower, with approximately two…