Since the U.S. Office of Education figures showed (at the time of this report) that on the average, 850,000 young people were dropping out of high school every year, 800,000 more were graduated from high school with no specific marketable skills, and 900,000 were dropping out of universities, junior colleges, and training schools, the study…

This manual is designed to offer teachers ideas that appeal to middle school students (ages 10-11 to 14-15) and give them short-term successful experiences in the foreign language classroom. The activities described here provide ideas for learning that involve the four basic skills of foreign language learning - listening, speaking, reading,…

This paper outlines an Australian bilingual education program for aboriginal children, and describes the role of linguists in such programs. The program consists of four stages, roughly coinciding with the first four elementary grades. During the first stage, the child becomes literate in the vernacular, is exposed to beginning content material,…

This paper examines a didactic model of teaching-learning which underlies the approach of many teachers and linguists, and proposes an organic interaction model, which recognizes children's individual needs and characteristics, instead. Problems in interpreting test results in areas of primary or oral language and in the secondary language skills…

Substantial research demonstrate that high school graduates are not being prepared to succeed. There are gaps between the education received in high school and the overall skills, abilities and work habits needed for the demands of postsecondary education and the workforce. Seventy-six percent of employers in Arkansas state that less than half of…

In this book, beginning teachers from around the country share their favorite chapters from the National Education Association's "Teacher-to-Teacher" books. Each story illustrates step-by-step how teachers tackle a specific restructuring challenge, describing what worked and what did not work in the process. Each chapter includes diagrams,…

This self-directed, self-paced adult distance education program provides developmental aides and transitional employees with practice in job-related reading, writing, math, and problem solving. Participants use e-mail, print materials, and videotapes to do assignments. An introductory brochure precedes materials for 12 theme areas and 105 units…

The benefits of family literacy programs for children were examined in a 1997 follow-up study in which 154 parents and 237 children who had participated in a family literacy demonstration program in 1994-1995 were interviewed along with the teachers of a subsample of the children and the demonstration program coordinators. The demonstration…

Current middle-school standards require students to operate at levels of literacy never before expected of 10- to 14-year-olds. This monograph, written for teachers, addresses literacy development in middle-school students, stressing the crucial role of teachers. It suggests that teachers must change the core of educational practice and examine…

This book presents 16 peer-reviewed papers from a 2000 conference on second language research. Part 1, "Formal Investigations of SLA," includes "L2 Acquisition of English Liquids: Evidence for Production Independent from Perception" (Laura Catharine Smith); "Is L2 Learning the Same as L1 Learning? Learning L2 Phonology in…

This book examines the practical application of visual tools such as brainstorming webs, task-specific organizers, and thinking-process maps. Graphic overviews map the big picture for each chapter and synthesize the key information about each type of tool. Stories, quotes, and insights from parents, students, teachers, administrators, brain…

The Write for Your Life project allows students to examine life events that affect their health and well-being by creating spaces for them to inquire into the circumstances of their lives. This paper examines Write for Your Life in a Texas middle school with a diverse student population, focusing on three students' writing projects. (SM)

Discusses the origin, development, and current status of a history-geography-English integrated curriculum program for eighth-grade students. Summarizes the "pluses" and "minuses" of the approach. Describes classroom activities and student projects in the program. (CFR)

Describes teaching Western political theory at Beijing University (China) in 1987, a period of political modernization. Suggests changes to enhance education and scholarship in China concerning instructional pedagogy. Notes the need for critical writing skills, finds students limited in their ability to analyze scholarly writing, and recommends…

Susanna, a young girl from a low-income Chinese immigrant family, develops her oral language proficiency quickly in Head Start and kindergarten; however, she needs more support in her reading and writing. This case study examines an unusual journey of Susanna's learning to read and write in English. Observations in her home indicate a home with…