The unique characteristics of immigrants from Taiwan are explored, and the strategies they use in adapting to life in the United States are described. Recent Taiwanese immigrants have been characterized by their diversity in background, their high economic and social status, a variety of reasons for immigration, and sequential migration patterns.…

This report presents results from a 10-item survey of 750 educators from 14 school sites, designed to gain insights into the perceptions educators hold regarding the problems of identifying gifted children from economically disadvantaged and limited English proficient backgrounds. Results indicated that major barriers to identification were test…

This score interpretation guide is designed to help administrators and classroom teachers understand the scores and scales of the 1994 and Beyond Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP). MSPAP scale scores indicate a school's level of performance in the content areas of reading, writing, language usage, mathematics, science, and…

This paper analyzes "confused history" on the part of students and where that confusion might originate. The study is based on a modified form of content analysis of articles by R. Lederer. The articles offer a compilation of student errors in history and geography. Two major categories of errors are recognized: (1) Type I, represented by errors…

The teaching mini-units in this teacher's guide are designed for use with elementary level students. Thematic study units are given for each of the following countries or continents: Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, and the…

This study aims to understand the special needs of Asian Americans with developmental disabilities living in the Chicago (Illinois) metropolitan area. Findings are intended to help service delivery systems meet the needs of this population through culturally effective services. The study acknowledges that there are differences among Asian ethnic…

A survey of 34 teachers of students who are deaf and hard-of-hearing and 27 speech-language pathologists licensed by the Pennsylvania Board of Examiners in Speech and Hearing investigated who was more qualified to serve this population. The survey consisted of three parts: demographic information, questions about graduate preparation, and a test…

This article reviews the development of interactive business letters as a form of peer review of writing, presents the activities's general operation, and discusses its benefits by presenting examples of actual student peer reviews from the International Trade Institute graduate school in Taiwan. Rather than have students read and critique each…

Classroom exercises designed to help students learn phonetic symbols more effectively are described. The exercises were developed for use in a Hong Kong school. The idea behind their creation was that use of the symbols in communicative situations would emphasize their utility for learning English pronunciation. Each exercise uses contextualized…

Reflecting dramatic changes in educators' understanding of literacy, this book, a revision of an earlier text published in 1986 under the title, "Improving Reading Comprehension," provides support for preservice and inservice teachers in learning to help children develop literacy effectively. The central feature of the book is a literacy program…

A study was conducted in the seven Acadian regions of Nova Scotia to identify the basic educational needs of the Acadian population, identify appropriate responses to those needs, and develop recommendations for adult literacy, basic education, and academic continuing education. Results are presented in this report, in both French and English. An…

Between 1985 and 1989, the Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) Project studied the effect of class size on student achievement in Tennessee schools. The study examined: (1) small classes of 13 to 17 students per teacher; (2) regular classes of 22 to 25 students per teacher; and (3) regular classes with a teacher's aide. The sample included…

Testing of skills in reading, mathematics, and English as a second language (ESL) was conducted at 12 programs for homeless people in California in 1992; 2,111 homeless persons were evaluated. Analysis of the data revealed that approximately 63 percent of the participants were male and 37 percent were female; 35 percent were between 20-29, 39…

Tertiary institutions worldwide are catering increasingly to adult, part-time students who are entering higher education for the first time. This paper addresses the compound problems that these students face in attempting to pursue a distance education in a second language. It offers the specific example of Hong Kong and the access and degree…

The New Standards Project conducted a pilot test of a series of performance-based assessment tasks in mathematics and English language arts at Grades 4 and 8 in the spring of 1993. This paper reports the results of a series of generalizability analyses conducted for a subset of the 1993 pilot study data in mathematics. Generalizability analyses…