Reform documents have provided a framework for advancing science education (e.g., The Australian National Science Standard Committee, 2002), but omit the need to assess preservice teachers prior knowledge for designing effective learning programs. A pretest-posttest 34-item survey linked to the course outcomes (associated with four constructs)…

Visual instruction--the use of interesting or clarifying objective illustrations such as specimens, maps, pictures, and the like--are as old as formal instruction or what is now thought of as organized education. In recent years, however, new visual mediums or aids have been introduced into instructional practices, many of which have a special…

This survey gathered information on programs at institutions of higher education that are designed to increase the access of educationally or economically disadvantaged elementary and secondary students to higher education. In addition the study aimed to compare Upward Bound, one prominent federally funded program, with others around the nation.…

The Calculators and Mathematics Project, Los Angeles (CAMP-LA), funded by the National Science Foundation for developing use of technology in the classroom, developed curriculum materials focused solely on the use of calculators in three stages. The first stage studied the mathematics curricula from different states and identified topics that are…

A broad range of research efforts are currently examining the quality and nature of the mathematics instructional program in the early grades. The purpose of this paper was to report on the assessment of a teaching-learning program in grade one classrooms. The major goals of the study were to: (1) identify patterns and change in children's…

The Mathematics Assessment Process (MAP) for the Middle Grades gives teachers and school reform leaders new tools to examine and systematically realign mathematics programs. MAP engages an interdisciplinary coalition within a school in an exploration of mathematics instructional excellence. Through an extensive self-study, a school answers the…

In 1965 the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) inaugurated a cross-national survey of achievement in six subjects: Science, Reading Comprehension, Literature, English as a Foreign Language, French as a Foreign Language, and Civic Education. The overall aim of the project was to use international tests in…

The growing practice of beginning instruction in a modern foreign language in the elementary school has created a need for many classroom teachers to become oriented to a whole new field of foreign-language teaching methodology and materials. Since teachers tend to think of language instruction in terms of the English-language arts, the language…

A program for increasing the social skills development of fourth grade students is described. The targeted population consisted of fourth grade students in a growing, low socio-economic status, urban community including a public housing development. The problems of poor social skills and disruptive behavior were documented through observations,…

Due to a lack of initial orientation training for school-age child care staff, the childcare program for 6- to 18-year-olds, located at an Air Force installation, was not fully acquainting new employees with the developmental needs of school-age children. Because of a lack of financial resources to conduct extensive training, high turnover of…

Growing Up Strong (GUS) is a curriculum designed to develop strong mental health in kindergarten through sixth grade students. This document contains a GUS teacher's guide for kindergarten and first-grade classrooms and masters of materials that can be sent home with children to promote family involvement in GUS. Part I of the four-part teacher's…

A summary is presented of interviews with a random sample of K-4 teachers from six schools in the Title VII Bilingual Project in the Austin Independent School District. Intended to provide data for assessment of ongoing activities as well as stated objectives, the interviews were designed to investigate activities such as duties assigned to…

A summary is presented of interviews with nine kindergarten and first grade teachers, all monolingual, in the four Title VII Bilingual Project schools where participation includes just kindergarten and first grade. Four bilingual teacher aides are assigned to these schools. Intended to provide data for assessment of ongoing activities as well as…

With support from National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Goddard Space Flight Center, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) has developed educational materials that incorporate information and data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), a joint satellite mission between the United States and Japan.…

This curriculum provides American Indian youth with a framework for learning about the effects of alcohol on the body and the community. The curriculum stresses the development of scientific thinking skills and was designed for upper elementary and middle level students. The guide consists of four units: How Does Alcohol Circulate through the Body…