Preservation of clean water resources and after school concern about the kids, in South-East Michigan, led to the formation of "The Water Educational Training" (WET) science project. The main goal of WET is to create environment awareness in elementary and middle after school settings.

As adult office workers' use of computers has increased, the incidence of computer-related musculoskeletal complaints and injuries has also increased. Although the use of computers in the classroom is increasing, little attention has been paid by educators, furniture manufacturers, or researchers to the ergonomic design issues of educational…

Three-dimensional spatial skills have been shown to be critical to success in engineering and other technological fields. Well-developed 3D spatial skills are particularly important for success in engineering graphics courses. Further, 3D spatial skills of women lag significantly behind those of their male counterparts, which could hinder their…

There is a rich history of researchers developing curricular materials aimed at enhancing student learning in American classrooms. Though many of these innovations have been successful on a small scale, institutionalizing them so they become part of a district's instructional culture has been a challenge. As large districts try to scale up and…

With interest in university-college partnerships increasing, this paper presents an example of an effective college-church partnership. A Christian college partnered with 19 urban churches to offer precollege activities for urban youth in grades 7 through 12. As expected, the level of poverty associated with young people's neighborhoods (i.e.,…

The refinement process of a survey instrument developed to operationalize the construct of organizational climate by identifying and describing the dimensions of middle-level school climate is described in this paper. Seven dimensions of organizational climate were identified: administrative support, administrative control, teacher intimacy,…

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between suggested practices observed in ten randomly selected middle schools scoring in the lowest quartile, and ten randomly selected middle schools scoring in the highest quartile, on the student attitude section of the 1971 Michigan Assessment Test of Basic Skills, for Grade 7. The study…

Presents a collaborative, writing-across-the curriculum staff development training model developed by Central Michigan University and a rural school district. Details the following: (1) the need, commitment, and delivery system; (2) team selection; (3) team training; (4) development of workshop schedules, content and formats; (5) implementation;…

Basic research and programs in substance abuse dealing directly with rural and small town populations lag far behind those aimed at urban groups, in both quality and quantity. A study was conducted to identify factors related to substance use by a preadolescent and early adolescent rural and small town population. Data were collected from 496…

It is important to examine the correlates of drug use and abuse among early adolescents to identify common patterns and factors of the beginning stages of drug abuse. The relationships between personal substance use, health beliefs, peer use, stated intention to use drugs in the future, sex, and religion were examined using data collected from 265…

A librarian, a professor, and an alumnus of Eastern Michigan University (EMU) collaborated to create an innovative library learning workshop for sixth-graders and college students. Pairing sixth-graders and college students increased the motivation to learn of both groups. Participants discovered through hands-on projects that library research…

For five years running, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has tracked states' teacher policies, preparing a detailed and thorough compendium of teacher policy in the United States on topics related to teacher preparation, licensure, evaluation, career advancement, tenure, compensation, pensions and dismissal. The "2011 State…

If strong school library media centers (SLMCs) positively impact middle school student reading achievement, as measured on standardized tests, are they also beneficial for middle school science achievement? To answer this question, the researcher built upon the statistical analyses used in previous school library impact studies with qualitative…

This document offers a detailed description of the Oak Park, Michigan social studies program. The program is built around four goals: knowledge, skill, value, and participation. Knowledge goals pertain to acquiring facts, concepts, or generalizations from history and the social sciences. Skill goals pertain to the ability to collect, organize,…

The intent of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 is to hold schools accountable for ensuring that all their students achieve mastery in reading and math, with a particular focus on groups that have traditionally been left behind. Under NCLB, states submit accountability plans to the U.S. Department of Education detailing the rules and…