Describes the Raising Achievement Project designed to address the need for more information on the performance of ethnic minorities for whom English is an additional language, and the need for support for children who have passed the initial stages of learning English. It also describes the action research model used to answer questions about…

Describes a mentoring program targeted at undergraduate minority students interested in attending graduate school in the social sciences that involves them in faculty-headed research projects. Discusses the importance of structured mentoring programs in the professional socialization and development of minority and female social scientists. (MJP)

Asserts that traditional teaching methods are unintentionally biased towards the elite and against many non-traditional students. Outlines several easily accessible changes in teaching methods that have fostered dramatic changes in student performance with no change in standards. These approaches have proven effective even in the fields of…

Contends that systemic reform is required to improve student achievement. Describes 10 system-building standards from the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE): the educational environment, governance and policy issues, preservice and inservice education, teaching practices, assessment practices, personnel and curricular materials…

Discusses how to improve student performance in distance learning courses, based on experiences at Purdue University, Calumet. Highlights include preventing student withdrawals; enrollments by discipline; course comparisons; course assessment; student evaluations of courses; testing; alleviating problems; e-mail; feedback; course management…

Explores a discussion about the role of arts education in relation to academic achievement in the Netherlands. Focuses on discussion at the elementary school level dealing with the topic of the extended school day, while also addressing discussions at the secondary level related to arts examinations. Includes references. (CMK)

Discusses the problems related to cultural pluralism, differences among the groups living in Israel, and social studies education within Israel. Focuses on the sociology curriculum, offering a rationale, description, and information about intercultural education. Addresses how this curriculum format has affected students in terms of their…

Promotes the use of presentation software in psychology courses to teach students technological skills that prepare them for the future. Explains that many graduates in psychology are employed in other fields after graduation. Discusses the use of presentation software with a focus on poster preparation using Microsoft PowerPoint software. (CMK)

The Moss Point, Mississippi, school district uses a semantic mapping teaching approach called "Writing to Learn" that visually and graphically displays ideas and concepts. Students use computers to work on writing projects, and their achievement scores in the state's reading and writing examinations have increased remarkably. Outlines…

Eighty-six "at-risk" students (aged 14-16) participated in an 8-week program of immersion in vocational training, academics, counseling, recreation, and performing arts. Students improved in academic areas and in their understanding of the world of work, but self-concept measures showed a decline and the program's impact on dropout likelihood was…

Describes how a small, innovative Australian teacher education faculty introduces its students to a lifelong habit of critical reflection on professional practice. The program hopes to create students with a deeper understanding of what schools are like, constraints against change, and working within schools to facilitate change. (SM)

Reviews some of the basic tenets of critical thinking as it applies to social studies, especially those articulated in Roland Case's and Ian Wright's article, "Taking Seriously the Teaching of Critical Thinking." Praises the article but suggests that it would be improved by tightening the central focus. (MJP)

Describes two classroom activities that introduce critical-thinking skills into social studies instruction. One is a debate, followed by position papers, on the contribution of Christopher Columbus. The other is a simulation of a Constitutional Amendment conference. Discusses which parts of the lessons specifically focus on critical-thinking…

Introduces three perspectives on the Hawthorne Elementary School (Houston, Texas) reform effort. The case studies indicate that successful restructuring of schools serving highly disadvantaged communities is possible. (GR)

Provides one teacher's personal account of an ongoing learning process in a sixth-grade classroom, and the perceived advantages and disadvantages of allowing for diverse interpretations, perspectives, and points of view designed to aid student learning. The dynamic relationship between student initiative and unpredictability that can result in…