Accelerated Schools are built on the strengths of school staff, students, parents, and communities with the goal of bringing at-risk students into the educational mainstream by the end of elementary school. During the 1990-91 school year, 53 schools are participating in the Accelerated Schools Program, including statewide networks in Missouri and…

Describes the procedures and results of a two-year project to improve the learning skills of first-year college students, focusing on aspects of students' daily lives and on effective study actions, strategies, and attitudes. Student achievement was higher than a comparative cohort, and differences were maintained into the second year. (DMM)

This study, adopting an action-learning approach, aimed to redesign an existing problem-based learning (PBL) subject curriculum to accommodate the learning potential and interests of students. Based on students' perceptions of learning and learning experiences with PBL, a Subject Planning Team (SPT) consisting of both students and teachers was…

Academic enabling behaviors play a significant role in the development of academically competent students. Academic enablers are behaviors that facilitate learning such as social skills, study skills, motivation, and engagement. In this study, teacher and student ratings were used to describe the academic enablers of a nationally representative…

This study examined the relative benefits of mastery learning, overlearning, and fluency-building instructions for academic performance and long-term retention. College students enrolled in introductory quantitative methods classes (n = 168) were asked to practice every week with a computerized flash-card program until they attained various…

The goal of this paper is to articulate a theoretical basis for work with at-risk students and to provide a foundation for new methods for teachers who will be working with this population. The topic is narrowed to concerns related to academic achievement. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that external conditions are major antecedent…

Self-monitoring refers to deliberate attention to aspects of one's behavior, and is an important component of self-regulated learning, which depends on favorable self-evaluations of one's capabilities and progress toward learning goals. This paper argues that self-regulated learning is enhanced when students self-monitor their learning progress,…

The application of the principles of intramural athletic competition to stimulate outstanding academic performance is discussed in this paper. The implementation of an academic intramural competition based on student diversity, immediate recognition, fun, and meaningful prizes in a Texas high school is described. The program is based on the tenet…

Research on grades 9-12 in an elite, coeducational private school in an urban area examined the effects of the school's social organization on students' commitment to educational goals and their sense of academic purpose. The author gathered data through 2 years of participant observation as a teacher-researcher and through questionnaire…

The relationship between intrinsic motivation for school learning and school achievement was investigated. An intrinsic motivation inventory was developed to test the hypotheses that intrinsic motivation is differentiated into specific subject areas for school learning; and for specific subjects is positively, significantly, and differentially…

The relationship between locus of control, social class, and learning processes were reviewed by analyzing: (1) externality as a function of socioeconomic status, i.e., the lower the status, the greater the degree of externality; (2) the impact of the early home environment on the child's learning and development; (3) classroom and teacher…

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the validity of selected predictor variables for estimating academic performance and to assess which of them were best predictors of achievement among selected community college students in North Carolina. A secondary purpose was to develop a model from the findings whereby a student could be…

The objective of the research was to determine the relationship of 8 variables to the educational achievement of 178 Indian public secondary school students in Nevada. The 8 variables were residence environment, mental ability, reading ability, anxiety, self-concept, achievement motive, verbal concept choice, and interaction with the dominant…

Reports the findings of a comparative study of elementary students in the United States, Japan, Taiwan, and mainland China. Contrasts student attitude and behavior, intelligence, and achievement levels, and teacher and parent attitudes. Focuses on the factors behind the relative slowness of American children to acquire mathematics skills. (KH)

Parent involvement in the education of their children can help students become more successful in school. A three-step approach, involving parent motivation of students, parent participation in school functions, and parent-teacher communication, can generate positive relationships and foster interaction among all segments of the educational…