Eleventh-grade students from 11 high schools participated in this study of the effect of beginning shorthand on language arts skills. Pre- and posttests drawn from the California Achievement Test for Language Arts were administered to experimental groups and control groups in September and April of the 1974-75 academic year. Results indicated that…

This discussion of the pros and cons of educational accountability and performance contracting comments on the educational and historical context of performance contracting and indicates some directions performance contracting will take. The author warns that since performance contracting is a new tool it must be used cautiously and with skill by…

Examines the Abt Associates, Inc. findings on the effectiveness of Project Follow Through and disputes the report's conclusion that so-called "basic skills" approaches to the schooling of poor children are superior to other methods. (Author)

After learning that graduating seniors at El Cajon Valley High School, California, were scoring around the 20th percentile in all the basic skills areas tested, teachers redoubled their efforts to establish proficiency standards in basic skills already identified by the community and governing board as a first priority. (Author/RK)

The infusion of workforce education into K-12 education may be detrimental to American students. American schools should not emphasize practical skills at the expense of academic skills. Academic standards should focus on academic content, not workplace competencies. The major impetus for transforming academic standards came in the 1990s when the…

Briefly reviews survey findings on writing achievement, discusses students' difficulties with writing, and suggests that teachers not only provide more opportunities for writing, but help students develop strategies for solving the problems that all writers confront: planning, drafting, revising, and editing. (SJL)

Discusses the need to create a curriculum and learning experience that will prepare graduates to deal with the multiple roles that will be expected of them beyond the year 2000. (JOW)

Describes a study in which teachers and students were identified as field-dependent (FD) or field-independent (FI); students were compared to their teacher and labeled matched (M) or mismatched (MM); and pre- and posttests of students' basic skills were conducted. FI teachers' M and MM students achieved higher test scores than the FD teachers'…

A survey of 354 instructors (196 responses) of advanced technology programs in Illinois community colleges found that instructors believe that strong academic skills are essential for future workers. Their highest ranked instructional priority was the enhancement of students' thinking skills. (Author/JOW)

Contends that empowerment and student autonomy strongly correlate with self-confidence; that this increases with incremental successes; and that any success is the outcome of acquiring and applying appropriate skills. Argues that geography students will be better life-long learners if they are taught enabling skills early in their programs. (DSK)

Examined the effects of a tri-schedule (traditional, 4x4 block, and hybrid) schedules running at the same time on the academic achievement of 327 high school students. Discusses implications of findings for schools considering block scheduling. (SLD)

Accommodation requirements for special-needs populations, and administration and taxpayer concerns about current fiscal realities, dovetail with the benefits of physical education programs that promote life skills, such as regular aerobic exercise. At Wilson Schools in New York, administrators have implemented an ongoing, before-school, exercise…

Middle school teachers are accountable for helping young adolescents master a daunting number of basic skills and concepts. On the other hand, they are also expected to help their students develop a social conscience during what is arguably the most egocentric stage of their social development. This article presents a service learning project that…