This volume, part of the Junior High School Transition Study which examined students' adjustment to junior high school, reports on findings related to instructional organization in elementary and junior high schools. Chapter 1 presents a brief overview of the project and outlines the theoretical framework used to describe and compare the ways in…

This report summarizes the findings of the Junior High School Transition Study. Section 1 describes the data base used in all three phases of the study. Section 2, "Organization of Instruction," discusses the instructional organization in grades six and seven and the implications for successful student performance in junior high/middle…

The 12 articles in this monograph discuss the value of informal learning for children, and suggest how basic skills can be reinforced at school, home, and within community groups and institutions. Promising programs, practices, and activities for children are highlighted. Topics addressed include: (1) a rationale for a rededication to a holistic…

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 development of the Student Selection Battery for the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study is described. This battery, which measures reading and mathematics achievement in second and fifth grade students, will be used to select target students for the study of teaching effectiveness. Methodological considerations included: the limited amount of…

The document comprises three articles which analyze roles and tasks of teachers in innovative elementary schools in the United States, Netherlands, and England. Innovative schools are interpreted as schools which favor educational practices such as open classrooms, team teaching, parent involvement, nongraded classes, global orientation,…

THIS REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE OF THE SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF EDUCATION FOCUSES ON THE FORCES (I.E. SOCIAL CLASS, PARENTS, PERSONALITY, CURRICULUM PURSUED, AND FRIENDS) WHICH INFLUENCE STUDENTS TO REMAIN IN SCHOOL OR DROP OUT. IN THE CLASSROOM SITUATION, THE TEACHER, THROUGH THE USE OF POWER, AND THE PEER GROUP, THROUGH GROUP NORMS, HAVE THE MOST…

A longitudinal evaluation of language arts and mathematics achievement for grades 5 to 8 in the St. Catharines, Ontario school system over a forty-year span is presented. The comparison is based on three different studies conducted from 1933 to 1938, from 1952 to 1954, and from 1975 to 1977. Secondary contributions--the effects of changes in…

This study deals with attributional theory, a factor of special concern in achievement theory, which focuses on specific behavior as caused by the subject's attributions to the perceived causes of such behavior. This study investigated whether an individual's attributional biases were predictive of task selections he or she made. Furthermore, it…

Noting that parents are vital partners in the educational system, this handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 2 curriculum in Catholic schools in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Learning "Programs of Study: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes Catholic school students…

Noting that many middle schools do not pay sufficient attention to the emotional, physical, and social development of their students, this booklet presents characteristics of successful middle school programs, as recognized by scholars in the middle school movement. Each characteristic is accompanied by an explanation of the "what and…

This curriculum provides American Indian youth with a framework for learning about the effects of alcohol on the body and the community. The curriculum stresses the development of scientific thinking skills and was designed for upper elementary and middle level students. The guide consists of four units: How Does Alcohol Circulate through the Body…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has increased the role of assessment in K-12 education. Designed to ensure that all students meet high academic standards, the law currently requires states receiving Title I funds to test all children annually in reading and math in grades 3 through 8 and report student performance disaggregated by poverty,…

The word "Pan-Americanism" is increasingly resounding throughout the schools of this country. What does it mean to the millions of boys and girls in these schools of the United States? How can it be made to hold a still deeper meaning and significance? The U.S. Office of Education, in line with its basic purpose to "show the condition and progress…

Researchers analyzed journals and essays from an elementary teacher education course, examining white prospective teachers' changing views about inner-city schools with minority children as they completed fieldwork and relevant readings. The experiences helped them question old assumptions about urban students and teaching and about the value of…