In a project led by Research for Better Schools (RBS), educators work with researchers to improve basic skills learning. Based on research findings relating the amount of time allocated for instruction and student achievement, one school made scheduling changes to reduce the time spent moving from one classroom to another. Other classroom…

This is one of a series of reports which provide definitions of and descriptive data on the variables used in the Comparative Study of Phase IV of the Individually Guided Education (IEG) Evaluation Project. Phase IV investigated three curriculum programs specifically designed to be compatible with instructional programming for the individual…

The three chapters included in this paper establish a basis for organizing future implementations of Project Follow Through. Specifically, chapter 1 identifies four planning objectives for coordinating such programs. Emphasis is given to the need to focus on one fundamental, pervasive variable possibly accounting for program success: time…

Overviews of three studies which focused on achievement as related to instructional time are presented. The first study investigated whether or not time spent in science with fourth and fifth graders (N=86) detracted from learning in more basic areas. The second study examined reading and mathematics achievement in grades 1 and 3 as related to…

This case study of a Colorado school district sought to assess the process and outcomes of administrative leadership in implementing school effectiveness research on time-on-task classroom strategies. The study examines the interrelationship of conditions bearing upon the change effort and focuses on those changes affecting the district's…

Data are reported for the classroom observational portion of a cross-sectional study conducted in Tasmania, Australia to examine the acquisition and development of addition and subtraction skills in young children. During the study, a group of students in grades l, 2, and 3 who differed in cognitive processing skills were observed during…

This report by Wyoming's Blue Ribbon Committee on Quality Education focuses on four basic recommendations through which student preparation could be improved. First, the elementary, secondary, and college curriculum in the state needs to be better defined and integrated. Second, educational processes must make more effective use of available…

According to this publication, a school's most effective tool in encouraging student success may be its control over the time the student spends working on goal-oriented learning activities--that is, time on task. This document is intended to help school administrators understand the effects of their decisions on students' learning time and…

This sixth collection of research on middle schools is divided into three sections. Section I comprises five research articles, each with a practitioner's reaction discussing the article's implications for practice and suggesting further research. The articles include "Perceptual Styles of Pupils in Grades 5 through 8," by Grover…

The advantages and disadvantages of the year-round school fall into three major categories: financial, educational, and professional. Financial advantages are based on the postponement of construction costs and the use of existing school facilities and equipment to serve a larger number of students. Financial disadvantages include a rise in…

This paper describes Detroit's "Peer Teachers as Mirrors and Monitors" project, a cost effective approach to increasing student achievement in mathematics and reading in grades one through four in Title I schools. The program consists of: (1) an observation/feedback system giving teachers data from their students' engaged-in-learning…

Kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong are often criticised for not putting early childhood education theory into practice after their in-service training. It appears that they may be too concerned about academic work and discipline in the classroom and neglect to create a coherent vision of early childhood education. It might be suggested that…

This paper consists of an examination of current thinking on the factors influencing teacher training effectiveness and of a report of preliminary findings from a study of inservice teacher education. Previous research identifies five major components of training common to most inservice programs as presentation of theory, demonstration or…

This series of six papers concerning the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study (BTES) starts with Teaching Behaviors, Academic Learning Time and Student Achievement: An Overview of Phase III-B of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study by the project director, Charles Fisher. As an introduction, it describes a model of classroom instruction based on…

Recommends using academic learning time as the major factor in deciding whether and how to introduce the computer into the curriculum at any grade level or any subject. (JC)