The Success for All (SAF) program was designed as a K-3 preventative and intensive intervention for students at risk of failing to learn to read for the purpose of bringing every student to grade level in reading by third grade. Key program elements include individualized tutoring, regrouping across grades into homogeneous reading classes, smaller…

In the Cleveland (Ohio) Public Schools, the percent of students who are retained in grade, or who are not promoted, is high. At the high school level, retention rates ranged from 9 percent to 47 percent in the 1988-89 school year. School characteristics that correlate with the rate of retention are studied in an attempt to understand some of the…

As a step toward developing appropriate instructional techniques to help learning disabled college students, mechanical errors were compared in the expository essays and controlled stimulus passages (rewrites) of 15 learning disabled, 15 normal, and 15 basic writers at the college level. Analysis of both types of writing samples showed that…

Although most educators agree in theory that labeling linguistically and culturally different students as "low I.Q." can adversely affect their academic progress, in practice a disproportionate number of bilingual students are still being "deported" into special education and vocational classes as a combined result of…

The thesis of this conference report is that acceleration is a much more effective method than remediation for bringing at-risk children into the educational mainstream at an early age. The papers summarized in the report provide a background on the history, politics, and demography of at-risk students and suggest applications of acceleration to…

Research on teacher and school effectiveness indicates that higher expectations for student achievement are part of a pattern of differential attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors characterizing teachers and schools that are effective in maximizing their students' learning gains. This resource document reviews research that indicates how differential…

The purpose of this study was to explore the value of variables beyond undergraduate grades and admission test scores in predicting success in the preclinical curriculum of the College of Human Medicine of Michigan State University (East Lansing). Subjects included about 93 students with relatively low scores on the Medical College Admissions Test…

This workbook was designed as an easy-to-read, slower-paced text for students who have learning, reading, and language problems. As one of five workbooks to aid low achievers in problem solving, it focuses on understanding what is known and unknown in mathematical problems and how to decide which operations to use to solve problems. Word usage and…

The papers presented at this conference review current research on effective educational practices for low-achieving students and identify those that might be applied to programs funded under Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 (the successor legislation to Title 1 of the Elementary Secondary Education Act of…

This paper provides an overview of research and theory on within-class grouping for instruction, including how groups are formed and managed, how students interact in groups, and how grouping affects students' achievement, with particular concern for low-achieving students served by Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvements Act of…

The following two major questions are addressed in this paper: How can the mounting research on the relationship of the home to children's school success be translated into practical action in communities across the nation? And, how can all families become meaningfully involved in children's education? Part of the answer to both those questions is…

A study was conducted of special education referral and placement practices within Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools. A group of 650 low-achieving elementary school students, identified to be "at risk" for failure, was monitored to examine special education referrals or placements. Three hundred of the students were studied to…

This is one of a series of monographs developed by teachers in elementary schools near Leeds, England. This document focuses on early instruction of number concepts. It is considered essential that these ideas be presented first in concrete form. The working group attempted to provide a detailed progression in the developmental stages leading to…

The effects of kindergarten-grade 1 transitional classrooms in Eugene (Oregon) compared with retention or promotion of students to grade 1 were studied in an evaluation of two transitional classrooms. Focus was on determining the effects of retention, transition, and promotion on student achievement and social skills. Students entering a…

This research investigated the phenomenon of underrepresentation of blacks in advanced level secondary school courses in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Initial interviews revealed that the problem of racial imbalance in advanced level courses was not one of identifying black gifted youth or of offering attractive programs for them, but of black children…