Discusses strategies for improving communication with caretakers of middle school students. Strategies include making regular phone calls; sending home personal notes about student progress, newsletters about homework and observation opportunities, or monthly calendars describing units; surveying parents to determine how they might participate in…

The Nominal Group Technique was used to evaluate 44 strategies for communication between home and school about homework assigned to students with high-incidence disabilities included in regular education classrooms. Nine school administrators, family members, and general and special education teachers identified 14 strategies as the most feasible…

Investigated were the effects of interactive computer-generated homework on unit tests, a final examination, and a comprehensive test given near the end of a Physical Science I course. The results indicated that the use of the homework reduced the effectiveness of the American College Test scores as a predictor of course achievement. (YP)

A small group program designed to improve social interaction between children and their autistic siblings is evaluated. Problem solving, role playing, rehearsal, homework projects, and contingency management procedures are used in group sessions. Results of the observational assessment confirm the feasibility of successful interactional training…

A pharmacy course in nonprescription drugs in which student evaluation was based on homework assignments, written reflective paragraphs, and class attendance but not examinations was seen by students as enhancing their personal sense of responsibility for learning. (Author/MSE)

Presents observations about the influence of mathematics textbooks and suggests ways to use textbooks to advantage while reordering the sequence and emphasis of topics to allow time for alternative activities. The fifth-grade mathematics curriculum is examined as an example. (MKR)

Nine focus groups were conducted with a total of 14 special education teachers of students with mild disabilities (grades 5 through 12), 15 parents of such students, and 14 classroom teachers. Participants identified six major homework-communication problems. These involved initiation, frequency, timing, consistency, follow-through, and clarity…

Presents an alternate form of assignment, called "Special Problems," that incorporates writing in journals into the mathematics classroom. The method requires students to provide process narratives to accompany selected homework exercises. Allows the teacher to monitor the student's thought processes and development. (MDH)

Presents 11 open-ended questions that can be presented to students and teachers at all educational levels in various formats to assess mathematical beliefs. Questions investigate beliefs toward mathematics, the problem-solving process, mathematicians, and mathematical applications. (MDH)

Describes a project designed to explore possible ways to exploit the use of home-owned computers. Project efforts produced a collection of 72 worksheets containing a short program that students use interactively to complete the worksheet at home. A trial period describes the method of use, response of the students, and the response of the…

Argues that introductory sociology students need to be familiar with the basics of the entire research process and able to spot simple research errors. Urges teachers to devote time to teaching research methods, assign homework, and include research methods instruction throughout the course. Recommends use of extended research examples and…

Fulbright teachers from England, Germany, Denmark, and Canada aired their views about American education during a 1991 conference. The foreign teachers admired America's commitment to providing universal access to education and academic second chances. They deplored local school funding disparities; teachers' heavy workloads and low status; and…

This article reviews the effects of homework on students with disabilities (especially learning disabilities or behavior disorders), the essentials of effective homework programs, and variables affecting home-school partnerships. It highlights three training packages: a cooperative learning teams-based approach for classrooms and two parent…

America's public education system has inadequately prepared its youth for the workplace. Parents can play a role in solving this problem by spending time with their children, carefully choosing day care facilities, becoming involved in their children's education, rewarding good performance, and stressing values. (BC)

Unstructured comments of 509 parents of students in regular, resource, and self-contained classrooms regarding homework, tests, and grades revealed 8 broad themes: complaints, traditional beliefs about education, alternative beliefs about education, communication issues, beliefs about involvement, stress factors, involvement dependent on child…