This basic vocational related skills assessment module in child care is one of sixteen modules designed to help teachers assess and identify some of the areas in which special needs students may encounter learning difficulties. The materials in the module allow for informal assessment in three basic areas: academic skills, motor skills, and…

This paper describes a study to determine whether students can, with appropriate instructional materials, develop and apply a knowledge of art concepts. An opening section reviews research on concept acquisition. This study utilized a concept acquisition model developed in 1970 by R. Gagne. Gagne's model proposed that concepts are learned through…

Examined are: the major sources of federal financial aid to students in their first year of postsecondary education in the academic year 1972-73; the distribution of federal aid that students may get either in addition to or instead of federal aid. Data come from a sample of 10,189 respondents who participated in the first followup survey of the…

After a brief description of the FLES Latin program in the Philadelphia school district, this article proceeds to list changes in secondary school programs, in general, that will be stimulated by offering Latin at the elementary school level. Mentioned are such consequences as (1) an influx of average and below-average students, (2) the…

Relationships between cognitive and affective learner characteristics or "aptitudes" and mathematics achievement for sixth-graders in three instructional treatments in one school district were examined. Aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) analyses were performed to test for differential prediction of achievement outcomes among treatments, using…

The relationship between attribution processes and academic self-concept is studied among students from four ethnic groups in inner-city high schools, and an explanation as to why low achieving minority students do not report low academic self-concepts is sought in this paper. Questionnaires eliciting self-conceptions and responses to hypothetical…

Because there are few instruments designed to measure the specific behaviors and characteristics instructors expect of college students and how well the majority of their students meet those expectations, an original survey instrument has been created to address that need. Focus group interviews were held, and as a result of those interviews, an…

This study used longitudinal data from the High School and Beyond study to examine how individuals' educational expectations change after high school, especially as related to postsecondary education. Data were from a nationally representative sample of high school seniors in 1980 and follow-up four years later. The dependent variable was…

Schools use a variety of ways to group students for instruction; most prevalent in middle level schools seems to be ability grouping. Arguments once considered persuasive for ability grouping are losing influence given evidence that the practice results in few achievement benefits and several negative effects. This Digest discusses attitudes…

In her first year as superintendent of the Atlanta Public Schools, Beverly Hall encountered what she describes as the nearly universal disbelief that poor children of color can achieve high levels of learning. This chapter recounts how she confronted this and other obstacles and challenges as the new leader of the Atlanta Public Schools. Hall is…

This article presents findings from a 4-year study of 13 culturally and linguistically diverse elementary schools implementing comprehensive school reform (CSR) models. The study focused on: (a) the actions at the state and district levels that facilitated or inhibited reform implementation; (b) the adaptability of the various reforms in…

In the state of Florida, several of the principles of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) have been enacted earlier than at the federal level. For example, the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT) is required for all students through grade 10 and must be passed for promotion to grade 3 and for high school graduation. Schools are graded A through…

One of five modules in the curriculum development series of the 16-module series designed to train vocational education curriculum specialists, this module is intended for use in classes or individual study arrangements at the preservice or inservice level by students with varying amounts of experience in vocational education. (These modules are…

Steven Barnett and Clive Belfield examine the effects of preschool education on social mobility in the United States. They note that under current policy three- and four-year-old children from economically and educationally disadvantaged families have higher preschool attendance rates than other children. But current programs fail to enroll even…

Two studies are described which capitalize on the strengths of the instructional development process for research purposes. Typically, developed courses have carefully-designed learning environment specifications, replicable instructional treatments, and well-proven achievement measures. A battery of questionnaires and rating scales concerning…