A total of 572 randomly selected sixth-grade students and 908 randomly selected ninth-grade students from a large metropolitan school district in the Midwest were asked to complete a series of survey questions designed to measure the extent to which they were happy while at school, as well as questions concerning the extent to which they treated…

This guide provides K-3 teachers with information to help foster positive social skills such as caring, cooperation, communication, and appreciation for diversity through music, movement, and language arts. The guide includes a recording with 46 easy-to-learn songs (20 of which are in both English and Spanish) to use with young children. The songs…

Kindergarten, first-, second-, and third-grade teachers spend most of their days with young children during what are, some would argue, the most important and formative years of schooling. In this challenging and rewarding effort, men are almost nonexistent. This book evolved from a study of a group of men who teach primary school. Organized in…

This document details the Montessori approach to educating children from age 3 through age 12. Section 1 provides an introduction to Montessori and its history, focusing on Maria Montessori's work, the Montessori educational philosophy, educational practices (including multi-age grouping and teaching methods, Montessori teachers and their…

This brief paper is a response to a reanalysis (Krueger & Zhu, 2003) of a report (Mayer, Peterson, Myers, Tuttle, & Howell, 2002). The response is offered by two of the authors (Myers & Mayer) of the original report. The original report presented an evaluation of the impact of vouchers on students' reading and mathematics achievement…

Suggesting that a good character can be a child's most important safeguard against life's vicissitudes, this book for 7- to 10-year-olds with accompanying leader's guide for adults helps children understand that their choices make a difference, that every child has what it takes to be his or her best, and that learning how to strengthen character…

This action research project examined the impact of using cooperative learning activities and multiple intelligences teaching techniques on the motivation of kindergartners and third graders at two elementary schools in a rural Illinois community. Over 50 percent of the school populations were low-income, and over 6 percent had limited English…

This paper describes a community service program in Singapore that involves voluntary mentoring, focusing on its impact upon adolescent girls. The paper highlights some of the ways in which community service providers come together to exchange ideas and practices to build up the social and emotional capacities of adolescent girls. After discussing…

Hypothesizing that young students would exhibit fewer classroom behavior problems when engaged in activities linked to their strengths and interests, this study examined the use of Gardner's multiple intelligences to improve student behavior. Targeted were 20 students in prekindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade classrooms in two suburban…

The Optional Extended Year (OEY) program was initiated in Texas in 1995 and was first implemented in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) in 1996. The OEY is designed to add an extended school year and reduce student retention through four school-day options: (1) extended day; (2) extended week; (3) intersessions for year-round schools;…

Based on a review of educational research and informal teacher inquiry suggesting that students could benefit from instruction to improve organizational skills, this action research project examined the effects of teaching selected organizational skills on the study habits and achievement of third and ninth graders. Participating in the study were…

This action research project implemented and evaluated a program to improve students' lack of effort and use of ineffective learning strategies. Participants were students in one kindergarten class, one second-grade class, one high ability fourth-grade class and one high ability fifth-grade class in a Midwest suburban school. Student and teacher…

This action research project implemented and evaluated a program for promoting student responsibility in order to increase the necessary skills and dispositions needed for improved academic and interpersonal behavior. The targeted population consisted of fifth-grade students in a regular education program, and high school students classified as…

This 1999 observational study provided a school district with clear information about the experience of immigrant students in two elementary English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) models, giving administrators, teachers, and school board members a window into the daily classroom life of ESL students. This program evaluation involving observational…

In April 2002, Jeffrey Fouts (2002) presented a longitudinal study of student performance in Washington using Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) results from 1998 to 2001. Although constrained by the lack of individual student identification numbers at that time, he concluded that success on the WASL in the 4th grade was a strong…