Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a research-based theoretical framework that can be used to design teaching and learning opportunities that are more responsive to the variability of student need in any classroom, although a vast number of teachers appear to know nothing about UDL. One population whose needs are becoming increasingly visible…

This report provides a snapshot of information from the 2016 New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) national survey regarding the role and impact of digital technologies for learning in New Zealand primary and intermediate schools. We asked teachers and principals how students were using digital technology in the classroom, and how…

Placed within the context of rural teaching and learning and the use of new technologies, this paper presents a comparative study of three technological approaches to the presentation of curriculum in schools. Supported by three different research projects in one Canadian province, it highlights three areas of e-learning: the use of video…

Summarizes results of a survey of 224 middle-school teachers and counselors in 3 eastern states. When asked whether their school needed a teacher advisory program, how they felt about being advisors, their biggest reservations, and what help they needed, 64% felt positive about being advisors, 12% felt negative, and 24% were unsure. Adequate…

Examined educators' perceptions of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, based on the results of a statewide survey among 286 fifth- and sixth-grade teachers and principals. Educators gave highest ratings to teacher/officer interaction, role-playing exercises, and the graduation ceremony. Ratings of program quality and impact were high.…

This report describes a three-year project aimed at improving mathematics education in grades 6-9 in Birmingham, Alabama. The purpose of the project was to enhance mathematical knowledge and improve the instructional skills of middle school mathematics teachers (n=58) through an innovative teacher enhancement program. Since the middle school years…

Introduces five articles on teachers' role in curricular change, stressing commonalities and research needs. The foremost commonality is giving voice to teachers, middle schoolers, university students, and researchers. Other common threads are the social construction of knowledge, examination of questions related to our intellectual heritage, the…

Attempts to address, on behalf of the teacher of reading, some pedagogically significant aspects of metacognition. Tests the effect of using Metacognitive Awareness Guidance (MCAG) in reading assessment tasks given to nine-year-old Israeli pupils. Notes teachers' reactions related to four aspects: use of self-talk, use of metacognitive learning…

This report describes the strategies, accomplishments, and outcomes of a project designed to identify intermediate level disadvantaged rural gifted children and develop curriculum practices appropriate for their use. Project objectives are outlined, along with evidence of their accomplishment. Findings of the project include: (1) the…

Investigates the relationship between teaming and empowerment by comparing the perceived empowerment of middle-school teachers working in departmentalized organizations to those of teachers working on interdisciplinary teams. Interdisciplinary team members felt significantly more empowered in all six factors (decision-making, professional growth,…

Describes three studies funded by the ALAN Foundation: the first study examines the potential impact that young adult literature has on a group of high school students; the second examines use of young adult literature in middle school classes in New York City; and the third study surveys 60 professors about their young adult literature courses.…

Explores what students are learning by writing literature responses. Accentuates the influential role of teachers in literature. Discusses the need for educators to engage in ongoing reflection about their theoretical beliefs and pedagogical practices regarding literature- and response-based programs. (RS)

"Tax Whys: Understanding Taxes" is a series of six video/film instructional programs being produced for the Internal Revenue Service to provide middle school students with an understanding of the reasons for and effects of taxation. This report details both student and teacher evaluations of one of the first programs to be scripted: "Taxes…

Investigated were the interactions among instructional elements of 26 commercial courseware packages, 62 learning-disabled students (aged 9-18), and their seven teachers. Reported are teachers' strategies for introducing, augmenting, and integrating computer-based education into ongoing instructional arrangements. Teachers developed a variety of…

Presented is the 1975-76 evaluation report of the Alexandria Program for the Gifted and Talented, a multi-dimensional approach to the differentiated education of children in grades 4 through 6 with exceptional abilities in both the cognitive and artistic areas. It is explained that the evaluation study consisted of four activities: replication of…