In 1979 the adult basic education department at the Alberta Vocational Centre (AVC), Edmonton, began to use the Control Data PLATO system. Results of the first PLATO project showed students using PLATO learned at least as much as students in regular classes. Students learned faster and reported great satisfaction with PLATO experiences. Staff and…

This paper presents a critical analysis of events that surrounded the efforts of four mothers to gain access to the educational decision-making process. A basic premise is that a hegemonic relationship based upon gender pervades American education. The roles of administrator and parent are "gendered" concepts that affect the ways that…

This evaluation of the 1989-90 Bilingual Resource Instruction for the Development of Gainful Employment Skills (Project BRIDGES) in New York City found that the program met most of its objectives. Project BRIDGES, funded under Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, provides the following services to at-risk…

The eight digests and nine FAST (Focused Access to Selected Topics) annotated bibliographies included in this special collection focus on family involvement--parents and their children working together to learn. The material in the special collection is designed for use by teachers, students, administrators, researchers, policy makers, and…

Intended for practioners, this book discusses many of the critical questions being asked about the role of whole language in schools. The book not only examines the growing research base that supports whole language, but also offers practical and realistic suggestions for tackling the many thorny issues involved in the assessment and evaluation of…

This report offers details of the results of basic skills testing of the entering freshman class in New Jersey's public colleges. Levels of proficiency in verbal skills, computation, and elementary algebra are estimated from performance on the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test. For the 48,568 students tested in the fall of 1990, 24%…

Providing guidelines on day care for children under 3 years of age in developing countries, this digest has been written out of a firm conviction that it is entirely possible for developing countries to provide a system of early childhood care and education that is affordable, humane, culturally appropriate, and supportive of child development.…

A meta-analysis was performed to synthesize existing data concerning the effects of computer programing on cognitive outcomes of students. Sixty-five studies were located from three sources, and their quantitative data were transformed into a common scale--Effect Size (ES). The analysis showed that 58 (89%) of the study-weighted ESs were positive…

Project Dropout Reduction through Employment, Achievement, and Motivation (DREAM) provided 445 Spanish-speaking limited-English-proficient students with English-as-a-second-language (ESL), Native Language Arts (NLA), and bilingual content area courses at South Bronx High School (New York) during the 1989-90 school year. Project DREAM met its…

A study evaluated two El Paso, Texas bilingual education program types, including a state-mandated transitional model (n=18 schools, 5,607 students) and a bilingual immersion program (n=19 schools, 4,717 students). Both programs are designed so students will exit after grade 4, but some continue in grades 5 and 6. Student characteristics are…

The Language and Literacy Block is an attempt to improve the preparation of elementary teachers to teach literacy. It is a component of a year-long preservice teacher education program that is a collaborative enterprise between the University of Illinois and a local school district. Some key features of the Language and Literacy Block include: (1)…

Originally developed as part of a project for the Department of Defense Schools (DoDDS) system, this learning package on ways to evaluate writing is designed for teachers who wish to upgrade or expand their teaching skills on their own. The package includes an overview of the project; a comprehensive search of the ERIC database; a lecture giving…

Comparison was made of the results of three analyses of teacher judgments concerning the selection of curriculum materials for the teaching of writing in elementary school. Twenty-five male and female fourth and fifth grade teachers, with teaching experience ranging from 4 to 33 years, responded to questions on their judgments of the value of…

Three topics were dealt with during this panel discussion on how Hmong, Khmer, Laotian, and Vietnamese refugees see the American school system: (1) the general issues of acculturation and assimilation; (2) conflicts between school and home expectations; and (3) the use of students and other nonprofessionals as interpreters and translators in…

A project in which student groups create a 10-minute radio broadcast consisting of a song, commercials, a news report, and a commentary is presented. The purpose of the project is to teach students to be selective media users while also teaching reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. The teacher introduction offers suggestions for…