Data in this study of southwestern schools covers (1) relationship between school and community; (2) the criteria for placing students in tracks; (3) the inclusion or exclusion of a child's cultural background; and (4) the ethnic and educational backgrounds of school staffs, their experience, salaries, and lengths of service. (JF)

Emphasizes the necessity for schools to improve Negro students' group concept through the study of and a philosophical commitment to the civil rights struggle. (RW)

Teacher-student interaction patterns in 12 third-grade mainstreamed classrooms were observed with four groups of students: nonhandicapped high achievers, nonhandicapped low achievers, learning disabled, and behaviorally handicapped. Although the behaviorally handicapped students were treated differently by their teachers more frequently than the…

The effectiveness of Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment program (FIE) in improving the cognitive performance of slow learners was tested for one year with low performing vocational high school students in Ontario (Canada). Improved cognitive performance was noted for FIE students, although changes in personality and attitude were substantiated…

The ethnographic study which examined Chicano students with extensive absences and low academic achievement indicated that student-informants reacted negatively toward the formal social sub-system (including the teachers, the curriculum and materials, and the school's organization structure) because they found little in the sociocultural…

This paper summarizes previous research findings concerning truants, then looks at a group of 22 young people who, as a result of their continued truancy, were attending an alternative education center. They were asked about their former schools, courses, and teachers and about their feelings toward the center. (Author/SJL)

A review of interactive models of reading combined with the assumption of compensatory processes indicates that compared to poor readers, good readers appear to have superior strategies for comprehending and remembering large units of text and are superior at context-free word recognition. (MKM)

Ability-achievement discrepancies were analyzed using the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery, WISC-R, and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test administered to a sample of low achievers. Reliabilities of difference scores were moderately high. Reliabilities of differences for devices normed on both the same and different populations…

Reported is an evaluation of the remediation program for students with sub-standard preparation at Hunter College of the City University of New York. Program results and a method for assessing results in a situation where ethics and administrative problems preclude the use of a randomized control group are presented. (JMD)

Findings of experiments conducted with two groups of 12-year-olds--ten good spellers and ten poor spellers, all of equal reading achievement--suggested that the poor spellers were proficient at going from print to meaning but were impaired at converting print to sound. (GT)

Discusses benefits and concerns related to the use of Keller's Personalized System of Instruction (PSI), a self-paced course designed for developmental students. Presents findings from a study of psychology students who did well and who failed a modified PSI. Concludes that PSI's organizational structure did not contribute to student failure. (14…

The social functioning of primary grade students identified as learning disabled (LD; n=16), low achieving (LA; n=27), or average/high achieving (AHA; n=21) was assessed at the beginning and end of the school year. Students with LD were less well liked, more frequently rejected, and had lower academic self-concept scores. However, LD students…

A study of learning conditions in two universities included staff interviews, survey of 118 students, and in-depth interviews of 11 students. Their perceptions of program design, instructional resources and support, and visual and physical aspects of the institutions resulted in recommended practices to maximize student learning and motivation.…

Explores factors accounting for the success of poor readers (college students) tutoring other poor readers (elementary school students). Finds that using texts that gradually and repetitively introduced high-frequency vocabulary and engaging children in direct letter-sound instruction were important. Finds that scaffolding of reading and writing…

Describes 20/20 analysis procedures (which uses the 20th and 80th percentiles to identify students at the margins who need adapted instruction). Also examines cross-categorical programming, costs, needs for efficiency, accountability, and labeling. A methodology using computerized, multiyear 20/20 analyses to estimate school effectiveness…