Eleven papers on developments in middle school education (grades seven through nine) in England, West Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Belgium are presented. Topics include comprehensive education for 11 to 16 year olds, mathematics, political issues, accessibility, curricula, school evaluation, and the view of the United States. (TJH)

Presents six curriculum guides for mathematics, reading/language arts, social studies, and science. Each guide highlights library media skills objectives, subject area objectives, grade levels, resources, instructional roles, sample activities, evaluation, and follow-up activities. (AEF)

Founded in 1968, the Transitional Year Program at Brandeis University (Massachusetts) continues to offer intensive remedial math and English for students who might not be admitted to college otherwise. The tuition-free program has been highly successful in turning mediocre high school performance into college achievement. Most participants are…

Examines Project IMPACT, a school-based teacher enhancement model for elementary mathematics instruction designed to improve student performance and support teacher change in predominately minority schools. Comparative data show IMPACT schools having significantly higher mathematics achievement scores that are persistent over time. Instructional…

Reports on a study of 208 high school students on the relationship between interest in 4 subject areas and the quality of experience in class. Finds that interest was a significant predictor of the experience of potency, intrinsic motivation, self-esteem, and perception of skill. (CFR)

Reports on a study of the impact of metacognition among 10 middle school-aged British students with learning difficulties. Finds that student awareness and subsequent control over thought processes were enhanced through self-reporting and self-appraisal. Examines this kind of reflection on enhanced learning capabilities and self-esteem. (CFR)

Reviews the research illustrating the wide-ranging benefits of open-ended computer programs such as LOGO. Considers the ways in which these programs develop young children's subject-matter knowledge and problem-solving and socioemotional competencies. (BB)

South Korean students scored better than students from 18 other countries on math and science achievement tests. In South Korea, economic social status for oneself and one's family are directly related to educational level. This, plus intense pressure from parents and authoritarian teachers, motivates students to score well on competitive national…

Describes a social studies assignment developed for Arizona eighth graders that focuses on Arizona history but also incorporates English, math, and computer programming skills to create a computer program about traveling through the state. Topics discussed include classroom management, computer requirements, community involvement, and interaction…

An activity in which students establish criteria outlining what constitutes wasted paper, calculate averages, and compute the number of trees needed to produce a measured amount of wasted paper is described. The mathematics and science concepts, objectives, rationale, content overview, lesson outline, and extensions are included. (KR)

The reliability of Mantel-Haenszel (MH) indexes across samples of examinees and sample sizes and their robustness to item context effects were investigated with data for 670 African-American and 5,015 white students from the Second International Mathematics Study. MH procedures can be used to detect differential item functioning. (SLD)

A study compared selected personal and environmental motivational variables in college faculty with allocation of work effort to research, scholarship, and service. Faculty were from eight liberal arts and sciences departments in a range of institution types. For all institutional types, self-valuation motivators significantly accounted for the…

Examines the influence of two factors of the process of graphing on rural students' (n=93) ability to comprehend kinematics graphs on constant velocity events. Students exhibited difficulty in constructing and comprehending graphs of derived variables and were unaware of their own graphing skills deficiencies. (34 references) (MDH)

Public school enrollment is increasing, especially among minority students. Preschool attendance is up. The number of elementary schools has lagged behind enrollment and school size. Teacher numbers and salaries have risen since the 1980s. Local school revenues are surpassing state government revenues. The national per pupil expenditure rate is…

Presents an interdisciplinary approach to organizing primary school subjects of reading, writing, and mathematics around social studies concepts. The strategy known as the storyline strategy, developed at Jordanhill College of Education in Scotland, is based upon concept development and experiential learning. Illustrates the method with a chart…