This report presents an evaluation study of the Recorded Telephone Message Project which used teacher-recorded telephone messages as a means of encouraging parents to help their children learn basic skills. Each week for 31 weeks, three third grade and three fourth grade teachers from an elementary school recorded a 2- to 3-minute telephone…

From 1966 through 1977, 700 men and women were selected, primarily because they had demonstrated some capacity for personal initiative, to be fellows in the $11 million Leadership Development Program (LDP) supported by the Ford Foundation to develop new leadership in rural America. To operate LDP a decentralized organization with offices in Maine,…

Intended for use by administrators, regular education teachers, and teachers of the preschool exceptional child, this document includes guidelines for providing an individual education program for preschool handicapped children. Chapter I provides an introductory overview of the document's purpose, defines terms used throughout the document,…

Approximately 700 Mexican American and Anglo students in grades 9, 10, and 11, who were identified as having superior mathematical ability, were surveyed to identify the factors affecting mathematics participation, determine the relative importance of these factors, and determine their stability over time. Five variables were studied: cognitive…

The literature review reported in this paper was conducted to increase an awareness of the positive effects that parents can have on their children's reading progress. The 36 annotations resulting from the review are organized under the following categories: (1) parental factors influencing reading development in children, including the effects of…

A model proposed for school improvement has two assumptions: (1) The local school, as a social organization, is the optimal unit for educational change; and (2) The local school organization must be linked to other educational organizations. For the model to succeed, teachers and administrators must be directly and continuously involved in all…

A new educational system for primary grades has been in effect in Czechoslovakia since 1976. This new approach demanded revisions in teacher preparation and skills, since much of the burden for the system's success rested with the teachers. The new system calls for primary school teachers to be able to teach all subjects in two consecutive grade…

The English courses at Phillips Exeter Academy (New Hampshire) are designed to challenge students in several areas: philosophy, linguistics, psychology, history, aesthetics, mythology, logic, and grammar. Although emphasis may vary from course to course, the goals in each remain the same: to teach reading and writing and the mental processes that…

This handbook is designed to give present and potential advisors the background information and organizational procedures necessary for establishing and implementing chapters of the American Industrial Arts Student Association (AIASA) in New Mexico. The handbook is organized into three sections. Section 1, the Introduction, explains AIASA's…

An eight-chapter manual describes how to involve school faculty in the development of effective middle schools. The author identifies the components of effective middle school programs and suggests processes for implementing the programs using group and staff development techniques. Chapter 1 discusses staff development programs to train teachers…

This module on enhancing motivation is the eighth of 11 modules in the set, Introduction to Teaching Adults. Designed to meet the learning needs of part-time continuing education instructors, these modules can be used as resource materials for local workshops or study-discussion groups, as self-instruction (each module takes approximately two…

This paper reports the results of a study which examined the longitudinal relationships between young children's classroom behavior and their performance on achievement tests. Subjects were 235 children who made up the first cohort to attend kindergarten in the public schools of North Carolina. Data were collected at four points: at the beginning…

Inservice programs that are likely to accomplish their objectives are characterized by: (1) differentiated training experiences; (2) teachers in active roles; (3) an emphasis on demonstration, supervised trials, and feedback; (4) sharing and mutual assistance; (5) activities linked to a general effort of the school; (6) teachers who choose goals…

A description and analysis of an unsuccessful secondary school evaluation in Australia is presented. The idea of a review originated with the vice principal and was received by the staff with minimal enthusiasm. Following the review, the staff agreed that nothing had been accomplished, and the reasons for the failure are summarized in this report.…

The 12 articles in this publication contain information designed to help parents of preschool and elementary school children understand the complex psychological and sociological process of language development and its relationship to learning to read. The articles also provide specific suggestions for parents who wish to participate in their…