This booklet is designed to provide parents of elementary and junior high school students with an understanding the purpose and nature of homework and suggestions for helping their children complete homework assignments successfully. After a discussion of why teachers assign homework, how homework can help children learn, and the optimum amount of…

This videotape provides an overview of the materials and services available in a typical library. Designed to interest elementary and middle school children in exploring the library, the video features a young host who tells children about the Dewey Decimal system and goes behind the scenes to see how a library works. The library does not only…

This report describes programs that have been developed to improve students' attention to and success with homework assignments. The four predominant types of programs, as identified through an informal survey of 100 school systems around the United States, are discussed: (1) recorded messages by voice mail; (2) live telephone homework help…

This guide presents questions that parents frequently ask about their children's school along with answers to those questions. The questions and answers were prepared based on the results of studies conducted by the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, the U.S. Department of Education, the GTE Foundation, and by the National Center for…

This manual, written by a classroom practitioner, addresses concerns frequently voiced by beginning teachers. It is designed as a practical approach to what works in the classroom. The chapters focus on the following issues: Classroom Management; Classroom Discipline (student behavior, easy ways to establish control, major issues, calling home,…

Emerging applications of microcomputers and hypermedia to assessment in science education are reviewed. Although the current use of technology consists mainly of computerized administration of multiple choice tests drawn from item banks, the potential advantages are much greater. Among these advantages are immediate feedback to students, formative…

This study examined factors assumed to influence children's help-seeking styles in the classroom in the domains of math and reading. Children's rating of their comfort in asking for help, and the relation between mothers' helping strategies and children's help-seeking styles, were also investigated. Fifth graders (N=190) completed questionnaires…

This practicum was designed to get parents of third grade students more involved in the math homework process. The primary goal was to enlist parents' help at home in the teaching of responsibility and time-management skills, and in the monitoring of the completion and return of this homework. A second aim was to increase the students' overall…

This report contains the results of a 1986 public opinion poll concerning public schools. This annual survey, using a modified probability sample of the United States population, posed questions on the following topics: (1) the most important problems with which schools must deal; (2) drug use in schools; (3) grading of schools and their teachers;…

This paper demonstrates the use of teacher-made and parent-made instructional games to practice basic skills, as an alternative to traditional homework assignments. The game formats provide mainstreamed mildly handicapped students with the additional practice necessary to achieve mastery, in an environment that is more motivating and allows for…

In response to the National Commission on Excellence in Education Report, the McHenry Community High School District in Illinois analyzed its current high school programs. The analysis is presented under five areas: (1) instructional programs; (2) student services; (3) district planning, facility, and fiscal programs; (4) athletic and cocurricular…

This article describes 1) the special features and accessibility of an innovative web-based practice instrument (WebMA) designed with randomized short-answer, matching and multiple choice items incorporated with automatically adapted feedback for middle school students; and 2) an exploratory study that compares the effects and contributions of…

This study examined the predictive association between gender, ethnicity, and homework parental involvement, self-regulated learning processes, and motivational beliefs among 10th grade high school students. It was predicted that students' motivational beliefs and self-regulatory processes would be significant predictors of students' math academic…

This book will answer the following questions for first time teachers: (1) "Where do I start when planning the curriculum?"; and (2) "How do I manage the classroom?" Ten of the best teaching methods are dealt with in detail, helping teachers to: (1) give effective presentations; (2) create visual aids; and (3) guide student talk and thought.…

This action research project evaluated an intervention to improve primary, intermediate, and special education student responsibility in a middle class community located near a metropolitan area in northeastern Illinois. Participating were students in first grade, fourth grade, and communication development classes. Lack of student responsibility…