A project was created to help seventh and eighth grade students improve their academic success. Students attended a middle school located in a growing urban community in the Midwest. Existence of the problem included records of low grades; an observation checklist to measure off-task behaviors; teacher surveys that determined the effect of missing…

Varied academic ability is a problem across the country and is the focus of this action research project report. The four teacher researchers were searching for way to reach all learners with their mathematics instruction. The purpose of the research was to increase mathematical performance in a varied ability math classroom. To address varied…

Noting that poor student motivation and problematic social skills may interfere with the academic growth of elementary school students, this action research project examined the impact of a multifaceted intervention on student motivation and achievement. Participating in the study were second and third graders from 3 schools. The 12-week…

This report describes a program implemented to improve inadequate student communication skills, specifically in the areas of listening, speaking, social, and emotional development. The targeted population consisted of first and second grade students in a middle class community, located in central Illinois. Evidence for the existence of the problem…

This paper describes the outcomes of an action research project that implemented a program for increasing social-emotional functioning and improving academic achievement in 18 high school students with social and emotional disabilities. Analysis of probable cause data revealed that these students lacked a sense of affiliation to the high school…

This paper reports on a project created to improve high school students' academic success. Students in three schools in the suburbs south of Chicago were targeted. Lack of student success was attributed to several probable causes: teacher-student relationships, curriculum relevance and choice, family issues, teacher expectations, lack of…

This report describes a program that was designed to identify and modify disruptive student behavior and improve academic performance. The targeted fifth grade class had been noted for inappropriate behavior and sporadic academic success, with problems documented by teacher observation surveys and self-reporting by students. Probable causes…

This paper describes cooperative learning strategies to increase high school and middle school students' motivation for doing well in school. The targeted population consisted of middle school students in a physical education and science classes, and high school students in science, technology, and special education classes. Both schools are…

This report describes a program for increasing connections between curricula, and increasing consistency between classrooms in classroom management techniques in order to increase student self-esteem, reading level, and academic success. The targeted population consisted of 67 ninth-grade students in a growing middle class community in northern…

An intervention project sought to lower the grade retention rates of kindergarten, first-, and second-grade students in one New Jersey school district. During three school years, 1987-1990, the retention rate was 7 percent of the total population of these grades. An exploration of causes identified several possible factors, including: (1) lack of…

This action research project sought to improve student motivation in order to increase academic performance among eighth graders in an urban community. Evidence of academic underachievement and lack of student participation was documented by means of teacher observations, incomplete and missing assignments, and student questionnaires. Student,…

This report describes a program for improving the on-task behavior of at-risk students to increase their academic achievement. The targeted population consisted of high-school students in a growing middle-class community located in a rural area of a midwestern state. The problems of academic under-achievement were documented through data including…

A cooperative learning model was used in Florida to change the state-mandated grade 12 course called Family Life and Sex Education, which had been found deficient in meeting students' educational and social needs. Pretest data before the change in model indicated a lack of knowledge that had a detrimental effect on thinking and problem-solving…

This action research project evaluated a program for decreasing the gap in achievement levels among primary and secondary level students in the targeted schools. The subjects, from various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds ranging from lower to upper-middle class, were students in Chicago city and suburban public and Catholic schools. The…

This action research study was designed to improve the academic performance of students with special needs in two elementary school classrooms in a parochial school setting. Cooperative learning and curriculum modifications were selected as interventions. Cooperative groups were formed which emphasized teamwork and communication with assigned…