Maintains that primary school teachers should increase the emphasis on narrative and expository textual experiences. Children should be exposed to a variety of reading experiences through a classroom library, the practice of reading aloud, and children's magazines. (BB)

Retells the story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery (Alabama) bus boycott to reflect more accurately the cultural and historical background of the boycott and the conscious decision made by Mrs. Parks. Accurate examination of the story actually enhances a child's ability to identify with the issues and the protagonists. (SLD)

Effects of the policy of mandated busing for integration on overall achievement test scores of African-American children were studied with 434 elementary school students in Norfolk (Virginia). Achievement test scores declined after the elimination of mandated busing. School characteristics explained 9% of the variance in scores for all students.…

Two vignettes illustrate the new roles and responsibilities of primary grade and high school teachers under the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). Effects of the KERA on the changing needs and roles of teachers engaged in systemic reform are discussed. Classroom practice is becoming more activity centered. (SLD)

Studies differences in the involvement in talk in classroom situations and the nature of that talk for boys and girls in mathematics/technology and language group work. Results with 15 classes of children aged 4 through 11 years give a picture of the effects of the group's gender balance. (SLD)

Describes various studies and projects on computer-mediated communication for enhancing second language learning and culture education, examining their impact on participating elementary, secondary, and college students. Results indicate that e-mail and teleconferencing provide authentic communication and foster awareness of languages and…

Examined teacher/student interactions and relationship quality among poor, urban, African-American third through fifth graders expressing differential school satisfaction. Found that perceptions of a caring, supportive relationship with a teacher and a positive classroom environment were related to school satisfaction as early as third grade.…

Examined the impact of behavioral, personal, and environmental factors on fourth graders' dietary practices, using a social cognitive theory framework. Survey results highlighted social cognitive variables that significantly influenced dietary behaviors: gender, race, socioeconomic status, fruit and vegetable availability at home, nutrition…

Studied reading comprehension, vocabulary, general knowledge, and print exposure of 11th graders who completed reading battery 10 years earlier. Found that first-grade reading ability predicted all 11th-grade outcomes--even when cognitive ability was partialed out--and was linked to print exposure, even after 11th-grade reading comprehension…

Reports on an ethnographic study of a fourth-grade bilingual classroom that examined the culture created in the classroom and how children were socialized to it. The author argues that for culturally diverse, at-risk students to succeed, the culture of the classroom must be different in its roles, values, beliefs, and expectations than what exists…

Reports a study that examined similarities and differences in perceptions of K-12 school administrators, counselors, and teachers about student self-esteem, and how they perceived their impact on student self-esteem. Surveys yielded noteworthy similarities and differences in their perceptions of student self-esteem and statistical significance…

Provides an evaluator's view of the quantitative effects of the Core Knowledge Sequence, a content-based K-6 curriculum model, and other reforms at Hawthorne Elementary School (Houston, Texas). Pretest and posttest results show increased academic performance in reading, writing, and mathematics, based on Texas Assessment of Academic Skills…

Regular physical educators need to know how to make modifications for students with disabilities in their classes. The paper presents information on modifying instruction, adapting starting and stopping signals, using different teaching styles, varying methodology, altering length of instruction, modifying length of participation, and adapting…

Schools within the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health intervention were randomized into control, school-based, and school-based plus family intervention conditions. Measures of third graders' psychosocial determinants of risk behavior indicated significant improvements in all psychosocial determinants following the interventions,…

A middle school teacher asked her students how they felt they learned best and how they felt a teacher could assess what they learned. Students perceived a large gap between their learning and what tests reflected they had learned. They provided suggestions for a more effective tool for measuring learning. (SM)