Effectively teaching low-achieving and learning disabled students is challenging. Concept-based instruction is recognized as a particularly effective technique for helping students in these populations attain high levels of achievement (Tindal, Nolet, & Blake, 1992). The maze (a reading selection where certain words have been deleted and…

Kindergarten and third-grade students in two suburban communities located in northern Illinois participated in the implementation of a program for improving student's engagement in social interactions and academic activities. The problem documentation indicated a need for teacher's intervention in order to improve student's social academic…

Tennessee's challenge for the future is to further change and revitalize the state's educational system by sustaining the momentum of the 1980s reform movements. Data collected during 1984-89 indicate that gains from school reforms are illustrated by improved standardized test scores, increased student readiness for college and work, a better…

This report describes and evaluates the initial effects of the 1984 Texas Education Reform Bill (House Bill 72), in which the Texas legislature enacted a massive attempt to enhance both equity and effectiveness in the State's system of elementary and secondary education. Chapter 1 describes the Bill's various financing components and focuses on…

Part 1 of this paper reviews major research findings on the relationship of teacher characteristics to student achievement. Of the 16 teacher variables analyzed, those identified as important to student performance are teacher certification, ability and achievement, experience, inservice training, expectations for students, and methods. Policy…

These papers are partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Education at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota. The cohort included a variety of licensure areas that represent most levels and content areas of K-12 education. The students were encouraged to keep their questions and hypothesis directed at…

Attempts to identify and describe the characteristics of effective teaching in the piano studio. Videotaped lessons with independent piano teachers and students were evaluated according to specific behavioral measures (general approval, music talk) and separately by pedagogical measures. Includes statistical and tabular data. (MJP)

This report describes a practicum project designed to help first- through fourth-grade teachers acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and strategies necessary to work effectively with a diverse student population; improve the social and academic performance of culturally diverse students; and increase parent involvement at school. The…

California providers of instructional services under Section 321 of the Adult Education Act collected learner data in Fall 1991. From the total population of 130,000 adult basic education (ABE) learners, a sample of local agencies and all state agencies collected demographic and pre/posttest data for 87,934 adult learners in programs of ABE and…

This paper reports on the learning outcomes described by experienced teachers attending a program designed to enable them to come together to engage in professional development through structured and systematic reflective practice. In the first part of the paper, we look briefly at some of the challenges of defining "reflective…

The research is clear that parents' involvement in their child's education improves outcomes in areas such as learning, attendance, behavior, and graduation rates. Although almost any parent involvement brings improvements in student outcomes, parent involvement with their child's learning at home is most helpful in increasing student learning.…

These papers are partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Education at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota. The cohort included a variety of licensure areas that represent most levels and content areas of K-12 education. The students were encouraged to keep their questions and hypothesis directed at…

A qualitative study explored the nature of the writing process for graduate students. Research questions were what students' perceptions of the writing process is; whether students think learning to write better has value in their careers; how graduate students learn the writing process; and in what ways a course in writing for publication is…

This paper reports on research in student self-evaluation processes. Student self-evaluation requires judgment of the "worth" of one s performance and the identification of strengths and weaknesses with a view to improving learning outcomes. Research was conducted at three sites: an Australian country secondary school; a suburban London…

This paper contributes to an emerging body of literature on school districts as active partners in education reform. Using qualitative methods, it details the first three years of a major districtwide initiative in San Diego City Schools as reformers sought to orient central office bureaucracy around an instructional agenda. This paper both…