Offers 58 suggestions for eliciting students' responses to literature, which will enhance reading development, critical thinking, writing quality, and personal expression. Includes writing activities, speaking activities about a book, drama presentations, media presentations, artistic representations, and literature response journal entries. Notes…

Maintains that California and the nation's school districts have been challenged by growing numbers of limited English proficient students in grades 6 through 12. Presents a series of social studies classroom activities designed to improve students' reading and writing skills. Includes graphic organizers and activity objectives. (CFR)

Despite mixed reviews from many educators--and some researchers--Chicago's retention policy to end social promotion has turned out to be a popular program. Surprisingly, perhaps, its most avid fans are the people most affected by it: teachers and students. Chicago's ending of social promotion was intended to make educators pay more attention to…

This article features case studies of two elementary schools, identified as exemplary by Washington educators, as they worked to enact Washington's Essential Academic Learning Requirements and help students achieve proficiency on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. We describe school- and classroom-level practices and analyze the…

This issue focuses on practices that can help improve reading instruction and includes two announcements from Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL). It begins with a look at study groups, the practice of teachers getting together to focus on instructional practices and student learning. Stacey Joyner, a staff member of SEDL's Texas…

The Guam Education Policy Board initially adopted the Guam Public School System District Action Plan in May 2003. The DAP established the direction and details for improving academic performance in reading, math, and language arts by using the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act as a framework. The adopted DAP was also used as a basis for…

This study examined the nature of the partnership between clinicians and parents of two struggling readers at a university reading clinic. Research questions sought to examine the roles of the clinicians and parents in the reading clinic and the ways, if any, their partnership facilitated reading improvement of the children involved. Data were…

The Whole-Faculty Study Group (WFSG) System is a student-centered, teacher-driven process for facilitating major staff development and schoolwide change. When applied properly, it has produced extraordinary results for thousands of educators and students in schools and school districts across the country. The Whole-Faculty Study Groups Fieldbook…

In October 2003, the US Department of Education contracted with Abt Associates to design and conduct the Reading First Implementation Evaluation. This report focuses on the following questions: (1) How is the Reading First program implemented in districts and schools? and (2) How does reading instruction differ in Reading First schools and…

The curriculum guide is designed for a program of English-as-a-Second-Language literacy instruction for textile workers' union members at the Phoenix Closures company. It consists of five themed units, each teaching work-related skills and knowledge. The themes are: health and safety; workplace communication; quality control; work forms; and…

Two models and techniques for teaching learning strategies to second language learners, particularly in the Asian cultural and educational context, are presented. The models are the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) and the Problem-Solving Process Model. An introductory section gives background information on learning…

The newsletter is devoted to description of a 5-day conference on "Teaching Spanish to Southwest Hispanic Students" funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and held at New Mexico State University on July 14-19, 1993. It lists the middle and high school teachers from Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, and Texas who…

Oregon is raising its expectations for students. The current academic standard, which allows students to graduate with only a D-minus average in 22 credit hours of classes, is being replaced by the requirement that students prove that they are proficient in English, mathematics, science, history, and other academic subjects. Students will…

The annotated list of software for language learning and instruction includes items used by English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers and those marketed for ESL. Software titles are grouped by hardware (Macintosh and MS-DOS), and within those sections, by language skill or application, including these categories: those discontinued by the…

The guide for teachers presents ideas and procedures for using newspapers in classroom instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL) in elementary and secondary education. It proposes that the newspaper offers not only material for classroom use but also information for students about the local community and the larger world. An introductory…