Various approaches to educational philosophy and developmental psychology are described. The purpose of the monograph was to review educational philosophy and developmental psychology in relation to educational methodology. The paper is presented in five sections. Section one, the introduction, explains the role of schools in transmitting social…

Man answers a natural call for adventure in many ways including escape into fantasy, vertigo seeking, kinetic euphoria, and by exercising the pioneer spirit. Adventure education can help equip people to satisfy their need for adventure in meaningful, enriching ways. A reaction to unsatisfactory educational milieus, adventure education has emerged…

This document is the second in a series of four volumes presented under the title of "Learning Opportunities for Adults." Included in this volume are eight special studies which were commissioned to investigate the needs related to the national development of adult education. These needs are summarized as follows: the introduction of new…

This article describes a conceptual model of the literacy learning process in individuals with severe congenital speech and motor impairments. The literature is reviewed on the relationship between spoken and written language development in both the nondisabled population and those with disabilities. Practical applications for instruction are…

This review of performance assessment and special education considers forces influencing assessment changes, performance-based assessment as an alternative to traditional assessment, current use of performance assessment, a critique of performance assessment, the future of performance assessment, and the role of curriculum and teachers. An action…

The application of learning styles to the teaching of reading to students with reading disabilities is critiqued in light of four factors: (1) inability to adequately assess learning styles; (2) failure to acknowledge the necessity of phonics instruction for beginning readers; (3) failure to consider the nature of reading disabilities; and (4)…

This report examines three sets of standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and provides recommendations for curriculum, teaching, and assessment of students showing mathematical talent. Specific recommendations are suggested for programs, teaching strategies, resources, and alternative means of evaluation…

This paper examines the factors that contribute to a library's decision to become involved in adult literacy and the service roles assumed by a given library. Common library literacy service roles (i.e., collections, services in support of local literacy efforts, and direct instruction) are discussed and profiles of the types of libraries that are…

The monograph summarizes findings of effective schools research, information on the characteristics of effective classrooms, and descriptions of the methodological and conceptual issues related to school improvement projects. The impact of the school effectiveness literature on classroom instruction is discussed, and implications for the…

The literature review reported here was conducted to assess the state of knowledge and attitude of those writing about adult learning and education and to determine how terms were used in that body of literature. (The ultimate goal was development of a handbook of descriptors for use in communicating about learning opportunities for adults.) Focus…

At a time when college degrees are increasingly a prerequisite for middle-class wages, less than 40 percent of college students are able to demonstrate proficiency on literacy tests, barely half of college students graduate on time, and many do not graduate at all. At the same time. the price of college continues to increase quickly and…

This theme issue on acceleration of gifted students offers an Ontario (Canada) perspective on early entrance to school and grade-skipping. It begins with a history of acceleration programs and then outlines their current status, with less than 40 percent of school boards with gifted programs using some form of acceleration. It goes on to analyze…

This text on teaching language to students with hearing impairments stresses the use of multiple language learning pathways to meet the individual needs of students. The introductory chapter looks at language issues in the context of history, instruction, technology, culture, and the law. Chapter 2, on language acquisition, discusses the nature of…

This review of the literature looks at family influences on the achievement of economically disadvantaged youth, with an emphasis on relationships among families, academic achievement, and gifted education. Theoretical perspectives on the study of families have focused primarily on families as static systems and families as dynamic systems and,…

This paper reports research on three innovations addressing teachers' adoption of effective instructional interventions: (1) an adoption/administrative model for promoting the use of measurably superior instructional practices; (2) a computer program providing expert implementation advice to individual teachers; and (3) a schoolwide strategy for…