This manual presents a guide to enhancing elementary school level mathematics and science education for minorities in order to improve their chances of advancing in an educational program that will enable them to enter employment in technical fields. In particular, the manual aims to fulfill the following purposes: (1) review the role of the…

A brief summary is given of the rationale for each of the six National Education Goals announced by President Bush and the nation's governors in February 1990, and measures to meet each goal are proposed. To meet goal 1, readiness for school, measures related to the following issues are included: prenatal care, parent education, health care, and…

How two students with the same number-correct score, calculated by dramatically different patterns of responses, can achieve the same ability estimate is demonstrated. The present study investigated the incidence of person misfit to the model in a nationally standardized test of achievement devised using the Rasch item response theory model. It…

This report offers details of the results of basic skills testing of the entering freshman class in New Jersey's public colleges. Levels of proficiency in verbal skills, computation, and elementary algebra are estimated from performance on the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test. For the 48,568 students tested in the fall of 1990, 24%…

This educational unit on solid waste solutions is intended to convey to students an understanding of the four methods of solid waste handling, in priority order, as recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency: (1) reduction in the volume of waste produced; (2) recycling and composting; (3) waste combustion, i.e., incineration of waste; and…

This report presents the findings of a Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) survey of 2,874 colleges on remedial/developmental programs offered during fall 1989. The survey provides national estimates on the following factors: institutions that offered remedial courses; reading, writing, and mathematics remedial courses offered; students enrolled in…

The report describes a 2-year Texas project which identified academic competencies needed by first-year college students in the areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and critical thinking. Presentations at conferences and educational meetings brought the competencies and their implications to the attention of over 300 Texas educators. Additional…

At Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) in New Jersey, an honors philosophy course was developed which taught mathematics and science concepts independent of computational skill. The course required that students complete a weekly writing assignment designed as a continuous refinement of logical reasoning development. This refinement was…

SWAT (Study with a Teacher) provided a 2 week summer program for 26 handicapped high school students who were mainstreamed into the regular vocational education program. Teams of participants were divided into career clusters with a vocational instructor and special education teacher. Staff was trained to use SWAT revised lesson plans and…

A study was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of remedial mathematics and language arts classes in a rural northern California community college district. Data related to remedial class completion, following semester return rates, units completed, grade point average (GPA), and declared major were collected for all remedial students taking…

Presented and discussed is a model which can be used by educators who want to develop an interdisciplinary map skills program in geography and mathematics. The model assumes that most children in elementary schools perform cognitively at Piaget's concrete operational stage, that readiness for map skills can be assessed with Piagetian or…

This study was planned (1) to identify factors, both social and academic, associated with the gender-role and self-concept perceptions of seventh and eighth grade adolescent girls relative to their participation in science; and (2) to determine the relationship of these emerging concepts of self to the attitudes and achievement of these girls…

An investigation was made to determine whether teacher expectations influence the way teachers interact with students and, if they do, to assess what effects teacher behavior might have. Also addressed was the question of whether teachers treat males and females differently in ways that may discourage females in math. All teacher/student…

Activities intended to encourage creative expression in all areas of the K-6 curriculum are presented for use by parents and teachers. Language and visual arts activities are emphasized and are integrated with the areas of social science, mathematics, science, self-esteem, and values clarification. The amount of materials needed and the…

The statistical technique of discriminant analysis was applied to selected remedial education programs within a statewide system of higher education in the Southeastern United States in an effort to explore that technique's potential for identifying student characteristics (variables) that discriminate between those who are successfully remediated…