Enhancing ethnic relations among students of diverse ethnic backgrounds was the aim of this practicum. A specific goal was to aid students in developing positive communication skills needed to enable them to work in collaborative learning groups without feelings of ethnic inferiority or ethnic superiority. Students were taught the vocabulary…

This text describes an approach to middle level education that focuses on the work children will be expected to do as adults. This approach requires teachers to use instructional strategies that support the development of thinking skills. Chapter 1 explains the rationale for adopting a new approach to middle level curriculum. Chapter 2 examines…

This information packet contains five documents concerned with preschool education of migrant children. Three articles recommend that early childhood programs (1) have a developmentally appropriate curriculum that emphasizes life experiences, experiential learning, and large motor coordination; (2) reinforce natural learning that occurs in the…

In its first publication, "Helping Children Succeed," the Maine Aspirations Compact recommended strategies to help students raise their personal expectations, improve their academic performance, and expand their educational, career, and personal choices. This companion document presents a collection of successful efforts that are…

This document is designed for elementary school teachers to teach students concepts of personal responsibility. Daily lessons are organized around the following "twelve steps to success": be confident; be responsible; be here; be on time; be friendly; be polite; be prepared; be a listener; be a doer; be a tough worker; be a risk taker; and be a…

This curriculum guideline provides suggestions for the organization of courses of study in Core French programs at all levels from kindergarten to grade 9. The aim of the Core French programs, as distinguished from extended and immersion programs, is to provide opportunities for students to develop communication skills in French, an understanding…

While effective schools research has inspired new efforts toward improving education for all students, it is flawed by offering simplistic prescriptions based on correlational studies focusing on basic skills achievement. Effective school research and theory can be upgraded by a more careful definition of the goals of learning and a systematic…

Factors that govern effective student learning and ways to improve the learning environment are analyzed, with specific reference to England. In acknowledging the academic importance of motivation, maturity, and effective study methods, attention is directed to the way that these can be developed and encouraged within the present educational…

The study sought to determine the effects of a summer bridge program on the academic, personal, and social development of underrepresented and low-income students during their first year at the University of California, Los Angeles. The 1988 cohort of students enrolled in the Freshman Summer Program/Transfer Summer Program (FSP/TSP) were tracked…

The working of the educational system in a welfare state was examined in a longitudinal study of a cohort (initially 1,029) of students followed from age 7 to age 23 years. An initial sample included 329 males and 342 females, of whom 352 had working class careers and 319 had middle class careers. Relationships among social origin, gender, and…

A career training program funded by the Job Training Partnership Act was developed in Loudon County, Tennessee, to alleviate the stresses that are described in the hypothesis that occupational aspirations and expectations are lower for rural, female, economically disadvantaged, and handicapped youth than they are for other youth. To participate,…

This report describes a model for improving retention and graduation rates of culturally diverse students that involves a guided studies seminar in psychological education. The objective is to provide incoming freshmen with an experiential seminar structured around examining higher education, learning and study skills development, and personal and…

Prepared by a Provost's Task Force on Assessment of Quality and Outcomes of Undergraduate Education, this report reviews the background of the currently burgeoning "assessment" movement and sets forth principles to guide the University of Arizona's efforts to redefine and reassess the quality and outcomes of its undergraduate programs.…

A recent California task force report on middle grade education, "Caught in the Middle," recommends that the master schedule provide for extended time blocks for core curriculum courses. Several goals of middle school education will be fulfilled by the program which is often called "core block" or "block time." The…

An overview is provided of the problem of student attrition and the essential components of effective retention programs. Following introductory arguments that the secret of retention is in the development of communities committed to education rather than retention, the paper discusses several major causes of student attrition, including academic…