Replicates Gray's 1919 study concerning the uses of reading made by high school teachers in the preparation of study assignments and compares the results of the two studies. (MB)

Suggests (1) a different kind of reading test construction, (2) the elimination of the vocabulary section of reading tests, and (3) a dual-scoring system in which one score is given for reading literature and another for reading textbook material. (MB)

Telephone surveys by the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools found that almost half the parents surveyed had themselves attended private schools and that, in switching their children to private schools, they sought more discipline, higher academic standards, more homework, smaller classes, more individual attention, and greater parent…

A parent reviews his son's first days in junior high school and questions the workload and its effect on a students morale. (RK)

This article, the second in a six-part feature on the Big 6 approach to information literacy, focuses on information seeking strategies. Highlights include determining the range of possible sources, and evaluating the different possible sources to determine priorities and narrow down the choices. (LRW)

Interviewed 130 Hong Kong parents to examine child-rearing practices and their educational implications. Results, in the areas of parental expectations, parent support, discipline, and homework, underscore the difficult task of rearing children when traditional family practices are changing and where preschools and schools operate with more formal…

Examines the impact of background media on Dutch students' performance and time spent on paper-and-pencil and memorization homework assignments. Notes that doing homework combined with watching a soap opera interfered with students' performance on both types of assignments. Indicates that music in the background left homework performance…

Examines a survey among high school teachers that focuses on their attitudes, convictions, and assessment of external factors and conditions that effect the goal of parent cooperation in homework supervision. Concludes teachers are open minded. Offers clues to optimizing the cooperation between parents and teachers. (CAJ)

Provides empirical validation for a behavioral self-management technique to improve homework-related behavior. Elementary and junior high school students (N=42) learned the technique through audiocassettes and written material and mechanical aids. Results indicate that the technique may help children assume responsibility for their independent…

Introduces "Schools and Families: Creating a Math Partnership," a book designed to help parents see the math in their children's work and establish effective home-school partnerships. Includes an except from the book that discusses how homework can help parents see how their children are learning and doing mathematics in class. (KHR)

Suggests creative homework assignments to teach three Spanish grammatical structures (preterite and imperfect, future, and subjunctive) and theme oriented vocabulary (food, fashion, home furnishing, and nature). Suggested homework activities include poetry and letter writing, free association, and scavenger hunts. (LMO)

Hands-on experience lets students explore, discover, and think their way through science. The article explains why hands-on science works, presenting tools for getting started with few resources. Activities have students work with the environment in their backyards and the schoolyard. Resources for hands-on science are presented. (SM)

The best help parents can offer students with their homework is instituting a formal study program. Rather than assisting with reading, writing, and arithmetic, parents should spend more time teaching students to organize, budget time, plan ahead, concentrate, handle responsibility, and solve problems. (SM)

Evaluates a program that encourages elementary school students and their parents to study science in an inquiry-oriented fashion in their own homes. Findings indicate that the program is viewed positively by both the students and their parents, and there are gender and grade-level differences in the student perceptions. (Author/PR)

Outlines methodology employed during six-month period to integrate quantitative and qualitative research results. The project, involving mainstreamed learning-disabled students' problems with homework assignments, was designed to study educational issues through use of directed focus groups in which groups discuss specific topic in detail.…