The disengagement that leads to school dropout may start as early as middle school, but may be interrupted by motivational interventions. One approach is to promote the relevance of content through explanations and demonstrations of the value of this content to students' futures. CareerStart is an intervention that provides teachers prepackaged…

"INSPIRE" is an Investing in Innovation (i3) development grant funded by the Office of Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. "INSPIRE" provides an innovative integrated K-12 STEM pipeline approach focused on STEM course content and instructional redesign. The INSPIRE model was implemented in Cabarrus County…

This study examined the effects of the use of a non-linear multimedia presentation model, Prezi, on middle school students' attitude toward learning science, engagement in school science, and the impact on learning science. Prezi was used as the primary instructional model for an intensive six-week intervention period in seventh grade science…

This study compared the creative outcomes in student work resulting from two pedagogical approaches to creative problem solving activities. A secondary goal was to validate the Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT) as a means of assessing creativity. Linear models for problem solving and design processes serve as the current paradigm in classroom…

Each year, seventh graders at Woodlawn School in Davidson, North Carolina, learn about Japan through a compilation of literature, history, and art. They are introduced to a wide range of ideas and materials: they study the Heian and Tokugawa Periods as well as modern Japan, the code of the samurai warriors, haiku and its components, and Japanese…

IDEAS INCLUDED ARE THE PRODUCT OF AN INTENSIVE WORKSHOP HELD TO STUDY THE PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION OF EXCEPTIONALLY TALENTED CHILDREN. PROBLEM AREAS IN EACH SUBJECT ARE PRESENTED, AND MAJOR EMPHASIS IS GIVEN TO READING, COMMUNICATION, AND VOCABULARY. TEACHING SUGGESTIONS AND OBJECTIVES ARE PRESENTED IN OUTLINE FORM. ENRICHMENT COURSES IN READING,…

Seventh grade students in two rural North Carolina school systems were subjects for a program designed to reduce health risks associated with alcohol and tobacco use. The results were that although knowledge increased, attitudes toward alcohol did not change, and attitudes toward smoking eroded. (Author/DF)