Nearly ten years ago, Park Street Intermediate School began the journey of instituting processes, policies, and programs intended to support the development of a learning environment based on trust, respect, optimism, caring, and intentionality as described in the literature of Invitational Education. The purpose of this case study is to trace the…

Uses a "fictitious-annotated-titles" survey to determine reading preferences of fourth-grade girls and boys. Finds that both boys and girls prefer fiction over non-fiction; girls preferred fiction more strongly than boys; and boys preferred male main characters more strongly than the girls, and girls preferred female main characters more…

This study identified Ohio fourth-grade teachers who had used "AgVenture Magazine" and examined how they had used it in their classrooms. AgVenture Magazine is an educational publication aimed at making students aware of the importance of Ohio agriculture. A random sample of 729 fourth-grade teachers was selected to participate in the…

A study elaborated a profile of four northeastern Ohio middle-grade teachers who incorporated whole language instruction into their classrooms. The overarching question investigated was how middle grade teachers proceeded to configure whole language instruction in their classrooms. Teachers for the study were selected based on their use of and…

The focus of this study is the current level of implementation of 18 basic middle school characteristics as perceived by principals of two groups of Ohio public schools, those organized by grades 6-8 and those organized by grades 5-8. Questionnaire responses were received from administrators of 166 of the 208 schools that met the definition of…

Studied the reliability of The Survey of Reading Attitudes scores in predicting the reading attitudes of fifth and sixth graders in rural Ohio. Also investigated students' socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. The highest reliability was on Reading as Enjoyment, Expressed Reading Difficulty; Reading Group, and Reading as Direct Reinforcement.…

This descriptive study compared the assessment practices of 10 elementary school teachers over a 11 weeks to those of Ohio's fourth and sixth grade science Proficiency Tests. Findings show that the assessment practices of these teachers were not aligned with Ohios proficiency test. The tests used in participants' classrooms contained a…

Surveys 315 fourth- and fifth-grade inner city and suburban children from Virginia and Ohio about their "most favorite" book, with titles categorized by literary genre. Finds little overlap with individual titles but emergence of some genre patterns--girls favoring realistic fiction and boys selecting fantasy; inner city children…

In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment (TSA); for the first time in NAEP's history, voluntary state-by-state assessments were made. In 1992, the NAEP Program included an expanded TSA in fourth-grade reading. The 1992 reading assessment considered students' performance in situations that…

This study, commissioned by the Lucas County (Ohio) Health Department, was designed to assess parental beliefs and attitudes related to HIV/AIDS prevention for youth, particularly in middle and high schools. In November 1996, 400 telephone interviews were completed with parents of middle/high school students in Lucas County. Names were randomly…

Studies gender differences in the U.S. achievement ideology for 48 gifted and 100 nongifted African-American fifth and sixth graders (59 males and 89 females) in an urban Ohio school district. Results indicate no differential determinants of underachievement by gender but show significant differences by gifted and nongifted academic programs. (SLD)

Students at Woodridge Middle School in Peninsula, Ohio, have access to a brand new library which houses more than 10,000 items. This study examined whether students take advantage of the school library and its resources when completing school assignments. A random sample of students in grades six through eight was given a questionnaire to fill out…

The faculty of one rural middle school in Ohio received professional development funds to implement a 5-year school improvement plan (Ohio's Venture Capital initiative). A study of the project investigated: (1) how the experience affected teachers' perceptions of their roles as reflective practitioners and as resources to their colleagues; (2) how…