The causes and types of student underachievement and suggestions for remedying the problem are discussed. Because the reasons for underachievement are numerous, different for individuals, and often overlapping, solutions must consider the unique context. Recommendations include increasing students' self-esteem; increasing community involvement;…

Guidelines for implementation of the team process as part of the middle school concept are presented. Topics discussed in the 13 chapters include effective middle school characteristics, student needs, curriculum design and development, team functions and effectiveness, scheduling, teaching strategies, student grouping, leadership, staff…

This research explored cognitive-motivational patterns of learning-disabled and nondisabled adolescents by employing the theoretical model of C. S. Dweck, which posits that a "learning goal" orients students toward the development of competence, whereas a "performance goal" orients students toward the documentation of competence, and that these…

A framework for global educational improvement adopted by the World Conference on Education for All is presented in this document. Included are examples of how the "expanded vision" of basic education have been applied in practice. Five chapters summarize worldwide educational needs and strategies to meet them. "Global Challenges…

A review of studies of at-risk students is presented in this document. Two recurring themes that occur in the studies reviewed are structured involvement and high expectations of students. The following items are reviewed: "Sex, Race, and Grade Differences in the Locus of Control Orientations of At-Risk Elementary Students," by Beverly D. Payne…

Goals and objectives appear on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and Individualized Vocational Education Plans (IVEPs). An IEP, required by the Education of All Handicapped Children Act, is a document that outlines the delivery of educational services, instruction, and responsibilities for each student identified as disabled. An IVEP, required…

The use of value-added assessment to improve undergraduate education at Rhode Island College is described, with attention to how the process evolved, problems encountered, and future plans. Value-added assessment is used in the development of student educational plans, curriculum evaluation and revision, and assessment of the interaction of work…

The Student Tracking System (STS) at San Antonio College is designed to increase retention of high risk students, and primarily students enrolled in developmental education courses. In addition to identifying students experiencing difficulty in the classroom, STS alerts educational support services personnel to these students, provides a system of…

Ways to define the outcomes of college experiences are discussed, along with the use of assessment information to improve curricula, instruction, and management. The analysis is based on the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems/Kellogg Student Outcomes Project. It is proposed that institutions achieve educational excellence by…

Comprehensive or nonselective schools have been in existence in the United Kingdom for over 40 years, having gradually replaced the old selective system of grammar schools for able pupils and secondary modern schools for less able pupils. In spite of their growth in numbers, comprehensive schools have been subject to continual controversy, and…

The activities and experiences of high school sophomores from 1980 to 1986 are reported in the fourth in a series of descriptive summaries about the 1980 sophomores based on data from the High School and Beyond survey. Detailed information on their educational attainment, work history, marital history, and attitudes and opinions is included. The…

This document reports the proceedings of a conference entitled, "The Case for Educational Restructuring," which was designed to re-examine values and assumptions underlying the traditional structure of secondary and postsecondary education. The central concern of the conference was to make a case for the formulation of a national,…

This is a report of a meeting held: (1) to examine and discuss the results of the Junior High Transition Study in light of the work of other researchers; and (2) to develop a collective statement about what is and is not known about successful schooling at the junior high level and about problems on which future efforts should focus. The first…

Since this is an age of international interdependence and even those growing up in small rural communities are not insulated against spill-over effects of global events, rural students should be exposed to world affairs and prepared for citizenship in the global community. Resources for organizing instructional activities to affect the global…

Four papers, focusing on hallmarks for success, which were given at the November 1985 Annual Conference of the Council on International Educational Exchange are presented. All discuss study abroad and set a context for successful institutional programming. An introduction by Paula Spier discusses the movement in American higher education to…