Reports on a summer school program successful in improving academic achievement of average seventh graders retarded in reading; emphasizes diverse reading, writing, and study skills needed for traditional subjects. (Author/RB)

Despite need for a high-technology work force, science education has deteriorated since late 1950s. Necessary correctives include more science courses, better science teachers, curriculum reform, more dependable funding, rewards for teaching excellence, and a national curriculum for science education. Business/industry/education partnerships can…

The Greenfield Secondary Schools Project in Greenfield (Massachusetts) includes a planning and grant-writing system, a grantsperson, and a structure encouraging community involvement and interagency cooperation, and has enabled Greenfield to finance innovation in lean times. (Author/JM)

Profiles Lane Community College's use of the quality circle concept to raise quality while holding down costs, whereby a voluntary group of 12 employees working in the same department meet one hour per week to identify, analyze, and solve work-related problems and implement solutions proposed to and approved by management. (DMM)

Several currently functioning techniques are noted for improving school climate and reducing the atmosphere of stress and conflict which leads to violence. Ideas include celebrating learning, providing "cool down" rooms or sustained silent reading periods to relieve tension during the school day, and implementing conflict resolution curriculum.…

Notes the history of the ERIC indexing vocabulary and the Identifier Cleanup undertaken to reduce scattering in the identifier field. Described in detail is the Vocabulary Improvement Project to review and revise the controlled vocabulary and produce a new Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors. (CWM)

Shares some warnings and positive suggestions about preparing students for the Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SATs). Urges teachers to concentrate on improving students' reading and writing skills rather than have students memorize long lists of big words. (RL)

The New Jersey Education Association's School Effectiveness Training is helping to solve the problems of urban schools. The NJEA approach--developing building-wide consensus, planning, and commitment to make the instructional process work--is not only taking root in New Jersey but is spreading to other states. (Author/SJL)

Use of a self-help tape program as part of a campus telephone counseling service is discussed. Most frequently requested tapes are presented to illustrate the primary concerns of callers. Data indicate that the program is a well-used mode for obtaining mental and physical health information. (Author)

Current approaches to helping students learn, chiefly in Britain and involving groups rather than individuals, are reviewed and related to research on learning. Four issues are explored: learning and studying; problems of subject and context; change, autonomy and the learner; and the relationship between research and development. (Author/JMD)

A group-contingency behavior game significantly decreased disruptive classroom behavior after five weeks. The classroom observers gradually phased themselves out of the program, while training the teacher to continue the game unaided. Further analysis of the relative influences of peer pressure and competition v social reinforcement is needed. (CP)

Reviews instructional design issues for electronic performance support systems and outlines strategies for developing an effective system for a given work setting. Discusses overall design, the information database, the advisory and instructional components, and access to applications software. (AEF)

Summarizes the changes in student achievement scores from 313 schools that completed an improvement cycle and were accredited by the North Central Association (NCA) in 1999-2001. Concludes that the NCA Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (CASI) process offers a high likelihood of improvement in student achievement. (AUTH/KP)

The article reports on 2 Minnesota Educational Effectiveness Project studies on the relationship between school effectiveness variables and attitudes/achievement of 2,604 students in general and 758 students with mild disabilities. Results did not support the idea that general efforts at school improvement will lead to improved outcomes for…

Examines the role of training for improving the performance of people in ways that both they and their organizations value, focusing on what the true worth of training is and can be. Proposes a model for calculating return-on-investment (ROI) in training. Presents a case study of its application within an operational context at a bank. (Contains…