Research is reviewed on the effects of materials and other curricular experiences related to race and gender on the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs of students in kindergarten through grade 12. Research findings are not totally consistent, but the studies reviewed indicate that different kinds of curriculum interventions can help students…

Maintaining that only by integrating communications into program planning and policy can Kids Count grantees and other child advocates achieve their goals, this document presents four studies examining the ways in which the media currently frame children's issues, the consequences of those frames, and possibilities for reframing media depictions…

Student affairs professionals are increasingly called upon to help college students overcome academic difficulties in order to successfully earn their degrees. This book presents a comprehensive resource of theories and specific techniques that can be used to enhance college student success. A model for change is described that includes both a…

The 11 papers in this collection address various aspects of the adoption and implementation of technology in the education of students with disabilities. An introduction by David B. Malouf of the Office of Special Education Programs introduces the collection. The following papers are included: (1) "No Easy Answer: The Instructional Effectiveness…

Since 1970, essentially all research favors the creation of small high schools. Four forces that have contributed to the growing obsolescence of large, comprehensive high schools are the onset of the information age, the emergence of an adolescent culture, the students' rights movement, and changing attitudes about the proper functioning of…

This issue of ENC Focus is organized around the theme of educational change. It intends to provide teachers with practical resources and suggestions for implementing reform ideas in the classrooms. Featured articles include: (1) "There Can Be No Improvement Without the Teacher" (Michael Fullan and Andy Hargreaves); (2) "Changing…

This action research project sought to increase parental involvement to improve academic achievement in the subjects of reading and math for fourth- through sixth-grade students in two Midwestern metropolitan schools. An increased number of non-English speaking parents and working parents, a lack of parent training, and teacher resistance to…

As states and communities work to improve the accessibility and quality of supports and services for young children and their families, they find that their greatest challenge is in gaining and maintaining concerted attention and resources for planning, financing, implementing, and sustaining high-quality, coherent systems. This brief addresses…

This final report describes the activities of the Reinventing Schools Research Project, a project that investigated how the inclusion of students with severe and other disabilities merges with larger efforts of educators, administrators, and parents to restructure and reform schools and how to influence the direction of that merger. The project…

Noting that Rhode Island has seen a significant increase in child poverty over the last decade in the context of a national decline, this Kids Count issue brief presents an in-depth examination of the economic well-being of children in the state. The brief notes that the highest rates of Rhode Island childhood poverty are among families with young…

This booklet briefly presents some of the results of a study of the relationship between school districts and "reform support organizations" (RSOs). RSOs include a range of public, quasi-public, private for-profit, and private nonprofit organizations that seek to engage or are engaged by school districts in systemic reform efforts. The study…

This document presents a national strategic plan for preparing capable and qualified personnel to educate students who have visual impairments. The plan focuses on three main goals: (1) to increase the number and diversity of qualified personnel to serve students with visual impairments; (2) to increase the number and diversity of qualified…

Conflicts and disputes, a normal part of the day in every preschool center, provide young children with important opportunities for learning. This 24-minute videotape illustrates 6 problem-solving steps that adults can use to help children resolve conflicts successfully: (1) approach quickly and calmly, stopping any hurtful actions or language;…

This action research project sought to improve the social skills of targeted first-, third-, and fourth-grade students. Students demonstrated an inability to collaborate with others, a disregard for the feelings and opinions of others, a lack of responsibility, excessive noise, incomplete assignments, unnecessary physical contact, inappropriate…

This action research project sought to improve social skills in targeted elementary students. The problem of poor social skills was documented by means of data revealing the number of students exhibiting inappropriate behaviors. Students exhibited a lack of social skills through: inappropriate manners, lack of cooperation, not occupying one's own…