This document consists of two critical papers on schooling in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), followed by reports on specific subject areas. The first paper, "If Wishes Were Horses: The Parent Role in a Participative System of Schooling," by C. Blakers, is a comprehensive examination of concepts, relationships, and issues…

In an effort to describe parent-teacher conferences and assess their influence on the curriculum, three researchers interviewed children, parents, teachers, and the principal of a midwestern elementary school and observed various school and Parent Teacher Association functions. High school and elementary school parents were mailed a survey.…

Reports on an interview with Frances Rauscher, a research psychologist and musician who has studied the effects of music on the brain. Maintains that students who have studied music have enhanced spatial reasoning. Recommends that music education begin at younger ages. (CFR)

This book discusses what can be done to extend literacy and raise literacy standards for all sections of the population, the relationship between home learning and school learning, and the role of parents in their children's education, focusing on the situation in England. It is designed to assist teachers who work cooperatively with parents in…

The 30 conference papers in this collection are presented in 6 categories. Five overviews discuss innovative uses of computers in education (Dorothy K. Deringer); microcomputers in instructional research (Alan M. Lesgold); microcomputers in the schools (Mitchell Batoff, Gary G. Bitter); and the courseware crisis (Barbara R. Sadowski). Research and…

Interviews 40 British parents and their children's nursery school teachers, concerning parental involvement in children's preschool reading and writing. Reveals parents frequently assist and direct their children in language arts activities but do not feel confident and teachers expressed doubts about parental interest. Shows need for greater…

This longitudinal study investigated maternal locus of control and the mother's perceptions of relationships with her husband, her own mother, her child, her child's teacher, and her child's health care provider. To determine whether the mother's behavior is related to generalized expectancies, her locus of control was also correlated with…

Information was collected at six urban high schools in the Northwest during 1984 and 1985 to describe the procedures used to manage student absenteeism and to compare the schools on staff implementation of and satisfaction with the absentee procedures used. An additional purpose was to investigate the influence of school procedures on student…

This practicum addressed the problem of the lack of science instruction in a school consisting of kindergarten through grade 5. The options of teaching science through hands-on activities, use of process skills, adding field experiences and selecting resource persons from the community were presented to the teachers. Appropriate science materials…