The Study of Academic Instruction for Disadvantaged Students explored the nature and effects of alternatives to conventional practices in mathematics, reading, and writing instruction in schools that serve high concentrations of children from low-income backgrounds. This report presents what was learned by describing and analyzing instructional…

As the number of latch key children and at-risk students increases, teachers have become one group of significant others with whom children spend much of their time. This paper focuses on students' sense of self and the teacher's role in positively impacting it, from the perspective of a model of mental health. This model places self-esteem,…

This report reviews literature pertaining to testing accommodations for students with disabilities. It draws on such information as empirical studies conducted by the Educational Testing Service and the American College Testing Program as well as policies for state assessment programs. The report addresses policy and legal considerations,…

The appropriateness and feasibility of the "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards" published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics were examined with respect to the mathematics education of students with disabilities. Eleven experts from the areas of mathematics education, special education, and assessment were surveyed using…

A study explored the causes cited by British primary school students for instances of relative success and failure in class work in a free-response setting. The study involved 157 7-, 9-, and 11-year old students in 2 primary schools. Because the 7-year-olds were reluctant to talk about their own work, children were asked to talk about the reasons…

There is a growing tendency to accept that schools can teach the concept of code switching in language awareness programs, and this has been done in Denmark, to an extent, for a decade or so. This research studied code switching as an interpersonal power tool in two minority children who participated in a longitudinal study of the bilingual…

This monograph examines early adolescence as a developmental period and explains the physical, psychosocial, and cognitive characteristics of 10- to 14-year-olds. The monograph also discusses how middle schools can provide developmentally appropriate educational experiences. Chapter 1 of the monograph explores early adolescence as a developmental…

The Appalachian Regional Commission/International Business Machine Writing to Read (WTR) program was implemented over a 3-year period in 55 selected rural schools of Appalachia. WTR is a computer-based instructional system designed to develop the writing and reading skills of kindergarten and first-grade students in a lab setting. Project schools…

This study sought to determine how retained first grade students function in a whole language classroom after meeting with failure in a traditional first grade setting. Data collection for the five retained students, plus six "at-risk" students, involved naturalistic observation. Reading began from language experience stories that the students…

In 1987 the Toronto (Ontario, Canada) Board of Education launched the development of the Toronto Board Benchmark Program to establish benchmarks, which are samples of student performance on a wide range of language and mathematics tasks. These samples, in print and video, show what students in grades 3, 6, and 8 can do on learning tasks based on…

This curriculum guide for grades 4 through 9 uses the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to teach conflict resolution and to explore the philosophy of non-violence for daily life. To enable students to learn and apply non-violence, it must be modeled in a classroom environment that builds trust and a sense of community. Each of the…

Conflict resolution skills can be taught just as any other basic skill is taught, and this is the message of this curriculum and guide. Peace education is a life-affirming celebration of life and a holistic approach to human interaction. Conflict is a natural part of life, and children can be taught the skills to deal constructively with conflict.…

Seymour Papert, who holds the Lego Chair for Learning Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, looks back over a decade during which American schools acquired more than three million computers and assesses progress and resistance to progress. Stories about visionary teachers who have used computers to enrich learning provide a…

Rate of retention in grade is a measure of the number of students who repeat the grade they were in the year before. This report of retention rates is produced annually for the Austin (Texas) Independent School District, but contains information produced after the beginning of the school year and data produced at the end of the school year…

A study assessed the strengths, weaknesses, and degree of implementation of the reading dimension in the English Language Arts curriculum in grades 4, 8, and 11 of English language schools in Manitoba (Canada). At each grade, the student test assessed five major areas of reading performance. Assessment materials consisted of a student test, a…