The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between participation in the Summer Bridge Program, grade point averages and retention of first-year college students. Additionally, this study examined the differences in grade point averages of college students after their first semester and first-year of college with regard to their…

For almost twenty-five years, North Carolina State University has helped to coordinate a state-wide Mathematics and Science Education Network Pre-College Program that serves disadvantaged youth in grades six through twelve. The university-school partnership includes middle school and high school academic enrichment in math, science, and…

There is abundant evidence that schools with strong reading programs have successful students. But building strong reading skills is a complex task, particularly by the time students reach the middle grades. A survey was conducted that involved all Indiana middle grades schools in May 2009. Two types of data analysis were utilized in preparing the…

Out-of-school time programs can provide valuable supports to the positive development of children and youth. These programs can help cultivate social and emotional skills, and further students' academic achievements. Furthermore, the safe environment provided by out-of-school time programs can offer children and youth, especially those living in…

This study examined the effects of a service-learning program on the development of civic attitudes and behaviors of 230 high school students who were identified as academically gifted and participated in either a service-learning program or an accelerated academic program during the summer. Students' responses to 3 surveys measuring civic…

Many believe that girls lack the confidence and motivation to persist with computers when they face a challenge. In order to increase the number of girls and women in information technology careers, we need a better understanding of how they think about and solve problems while working on the computer. In this article, we describe a qualitative…

Many informal science educational programs aim to help students improve their understanding of science. Little research, however, has focused specifically on the direct experiences and subsequent ideas of culturally and linguistically diverse girls when they engage with science in informal learning settings. The research described in this report…

This article describes an engaging, data-gathering activity that allows students to explore relationships between latitude and average monthly temperatures of cities in the Western Hemisphere. This data-gathering activity covered interesting and important mathematical ground and engaged students from the start. While students searched for their…

The course outlines presented in this report are intended to be used to teach astrophysics to nonscience majors at the junior and senior college level. An extensive set of notes are included which can be useful to an instructor as guidelines for presentation. Additional equipment and references for use in teaching astrophysics are suggested. (SA)

This study examined the effectiveness of the Title 1 Elementary School Summer program that provided intervention to underachieving kindergarten through grade 5 pupils who were below average in reading ability at 7 schools located throughout the Columbus, Ohio public school district. The program featured group instruction (with many of the…

This study focuses on a 10-week program called the Summer Pre-Graduate Research Experience (SPGRE) Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The SPGRE has been in place for six years; it is designed to reinforce and promote graduate study through participation in directed and often on-going faculty research projects. Students are…

This guide stems from concern that many classroom teachers have limited exposure to the scientific community in general and to the nature and method of science in particular. It offers guidelines and suggestions to plan, conduct, and evaluate summer mentorship programs and gives practical advice on establishing programs, garnering institutional…

This directory provides information on summer programs abroad from 1 week to several months in length and short courses of varying lengths in the fall, winter, or spring. Approximately 60 percent of the programs are sponsored by U.S. accredited colleges and universities; the others are offered by foreign universities, language schools, and other…

This practicum addressed the issues of declining enrollment and the anticipated problems resulting from the loss of a kindergarten program in an early childhood center. (Enrollment is expected to decline as the public schools moved to all-day kindergarten.) Goals of the practicum were to increase enrollment in the early childhood center, expand…

The founder of the Shad Valley (Ontario, Canada) summer program for gifted teenagers in 1984 suggests that the current selection process may not be adequate and fails to encourage applications from some students who would profit from the program. The program is seen to provide direct benefits to the universities that host the program, the…