This guide discusses the basic requirements for administering Federal Work-Study (FWS) America Reads Challenge programs and outlines specific requirements related to FWS-funded community service positions. These programs offer colleges and universities an opportunity to help improve the reading skills of preschool school and elementary school…

Schools use a variety of ways to group students for instruction; most prevalent in middle level schools seems to be ability grouping. Arguments once considered persuasive for ability grouping are losing influence given evidence that the practice results in few achievement benefits and several negative effects. This Digest discusses attitudes…

The effects that peer interactions in an adult mathematics classroom have on the children of women returning to study mathematics were explored in a case study of seven Australian mothers who had school-aged children and who had returned to study mathematics in Australia's technical and further education sector. During the 12-month study, the…

This guide describes what constitutes a quality school guidance program, which provides equal opportunities for all students to receive guidance and counseling. It states that this developmental guidance and counseling program can play a vital role in assisting teachers and other staff in the integration of guidance objectives with their other…

This paper describes the teacher inservice training that was developed as the result of a technology needs assessment at two elementary schools in Quebec. The workshop was developed as an initial vehicle for enabling teachers to incorporate technology into their teaching. The six days of the workshop are sketched, and the materials used in the…

Elementary education is that training which by common custom is deemed desirable and necessary for the duties and privileges of citizenship. It is usually made compulsory by law. Like all such definitions, the meaning of this statement becomes clear only through an examination of its interpretation as given in the curricula of the various school…

Tells the story of a partnership that involved university researchers, school administrators, and preservice and inservice teachers in the African and African American Curriculum Program. Examines commitments that brought in participants, tensions encountered, and areas of learning about curriculum reform and collaboration. (SM)

Examines an intervention study of 23 students in an elementary teacher education program to determine the effects of three nontraditional mathematics courses on the teacher candidates' conceptual understanding of mathematics and the learning of mathematics. Results indicate that the intervention produced significant changes in prospective…

Proposes the use of literature to introduce new mathematical concepts. Presents a story to develop the concept of grouping, and follows with 11 activities related to the story in which students use dramatization and manipulative materials to develop new groupings, predict outcomes, validate their predictions, and discuss findings to develop the…

Recommends ways to implement citizenship education in elementary school social studies lessons and classroom procedures. Emphasizes teachers' influence as role models. Identifies conceptual, process, and affective citizenship education goals. Suggests classroom activities and events for developing students' decision-making skills, awareness of…

Examined the problem-solving strategies of above average students (n=42) in grades 2-4 on problems involving forgotten or new material while practicing arithmetic with a computer. Identified the different problem-solving strategies used, sorted them into categories, and illustrated them with examples from students' protocols. Made suggestions for…

This report describes the efforts of eight elementary and middle schools in seven states to involve families and communities in ways that have significant impact on students' learning. Through a process called Parent-Teacher Action Research (PTAR), teams of parents and teachers, principals, and facilitators at each school closely examined their…

This study examined whether inclusion of cognitively guided instruction (CGI) in a mathematics methods course for 34 undergraduate preservice teachers at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro would improve their teaching performance, compared to controls. The Beliefs Survey, with four subscales (Role of the Learner, Relationship between…

This book documents a portion of The Learning Tree program, which develops cultural awareness. It provides activities, written from practical experience, that are designed to give children their first contact with the customs of other cultures. These activities are for teachers to share with preschool-, kindergarten-, and primary-school-age…

This paper reports on a project aimed at improving academic achievement at a predominantly Latino elementary school in the metropolitan Los Angeles area. Project activities were guided by a school change model that helped provide a coherent, sustained focus over a period of several years. The model suggests four elements that can be used to…