Summer programming is one of the main ways school districts have sought to help students recover academically from COVID-19 pandemic-related setbacks. Authors use a survey administered to a nationally representative sample of kindergarten through grade 12 public school districts to investigate the prevalence and structure of districts' programming…

Educators and students in schools across the United States have faced sweeping, unprecedented changes to teaching and learning as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which shuttered school buildings in spring 2020. This Data Note offers teachers' and principals' perspectives on some of those changes and presents their…

In recent research, female adolescents have been found to prefer history, language, and writing courses, while male adolescents have been found to prefer mathematics and science courses. These gender differences in course selection occurred despite the fact that female and male adolescents performed equally well in these courses. This study…

Reports on a study of the effects of participation in public library summer reading programs on children's reading skills. Results on a standardized test administered to 279 students in grades 1-5 in May and September are analyzed and compared for participants and nonparticipants in the summer reading program. (MES)

The Science and Engineering Education (SEE) Directorate of the National Science Foundation was eliminated in 1981, but has been refunded in 1985. The current plans for developing elementary and middle school science and mathematics programs are outlined. (MD)

These two newsletters of The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) present articles concerned with research on the education of gifted and talented students. The articles include: "NRC/GT: Making Decisions and Determining Next Steps" (E. Jean Gubbins); "Free Summer Programs for Talented Teens" (D. Betsy McCoach); "High End…

This article argues that more theoretically based research is needed on the academic expectations of gifted adolescents regarding summer enrichment programs. Concept mapping is suggested as an alternative methodological approach to such research and one such map is presented, which was developed by mapping expectations of 74 seventh and eighth…

In this issue, I provide information about an ongoing activity at the National Academies that will be of direct interest to biologists who are working to improve education in the life sciences. I also describe a recently published report and a forthcoming report on the Academies' efforts to help the nation develop a coherent strategy for improving…

The booklet summarizes information about projects taking place in the 1986 academic year through grants awarded in the Humanities Instruction in Elementary and Secondary Schools Program. The booklet has two specific purposes: (1) to help elementary, middle, and high school teachers and administrators from public, independent, and parochial schools…

A program evaluation was conducted of a summer program for academically gifted students in 5th through 10th grades. The purpose of this study was to evaluate discrepancies and congruencies among program teachers, counselors, and students in perceptions of program goal emphasis. The evaluation instrument used was a rating form composed of 60 goal…

This study was designed to investigate the influence of a diversified instructional strategy to overcome misconceptions held by freshmen undergraduate students with respect to the nature of a scientific theory. The theory of evolution was selected because it is the most significant unifying theme within the discipline of biology. Two classes were…

Explains the rationale, program specifics and initiatives for the preparation and development of staff, curriculum, instructional support, and research for science education in the United States. Includes total program cost for each. (RT)

Since 1983 the Migrant Education Program Evaluation (MEPE) has collected data about migrant children in summer programs throughout the state of Illinois. Testing is done during the summer months with migrant students in grades 3, 5, and 7. Preliminary screening identifies students who are limited-English speakers, and they are excluded from…

The effect of a 6-week summer prematriculation program on the cognitive performance of educationally disadvantaged minority students in their first year of medical school was studied. A second objective was to determine if participation in the program strengthened the sources of social support available to minority students within the medical…

The study attempted to chart the differences in self-concept between academically gifted and non-gifted competent seventh-graders, and also to investigate the attributional patterns associated with self-concept across four domains of activity--social and academic achievement oriented success and failure. The study attempted to measure changes in…