The purpose of the Basic Skills portion of this project was to improve the reading and mathematics skills of students in the Junior High Schools Transition program, grades 7 through 9, in 27 junior high schools and 4 middle or extended elementary schools. The goal of the Mathematics Teacher Resources Development portion of the project was to…

Evidence that elementary school children possess inadequate economic knowledge is presented, and four arguments are outlined for the importance of economics education in the public schools: (1) economic knowledge is essential to civic duty in a democracy; (2) economic knowledge is important when individuals attempt to function rationally in a…

Because intermediate grade students were not working up to their potential, a coordinator of elementary school instruction implemented a practicum to increase students' motivation. In-service meetings were held with six intermediate grade teachers from each of two schools for the purpose of planning techniques and devising activities for…

The Archaeology and African Cultures program was a collaborative effort among the New York City Public Schools' Division of Curriculum and Instruction and four New York City museums. The program was designed to provide teachers of the gifted and talented with a rigourous series of seminars in the field of archaeology as well as on each museum's…

Teachers from the Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, completed a black vernacular inservice program during the 1979-80 academic year. This final report of the program was submitted to the superintendent of schools in compliance with a court order and is divided into four sections. The overview summarizes the…

This paper describes one professor's sabbatical leave, when he returned to a third/fourth grade classroom as a teacher. It examines logistical arrangements necessary for success and insights gained. He worked in a Professional Development School (PDS) for 1 year, mentoring a PDS intern, 2 student teachers in the traditional preservice program, and…

Describes efforts to help teachers learn to use new math and reading assessments in their classrooms, highlighting characteristics of professional development that successfully foster change in teachers' ideas and practice. After describing a multi-year staff development/research project on assessment, the paper discusses factors that support and…

An elementary school staff development program was designed to reduce disparity in educational achievement across race and sex. Researchers compared achievement test scores, attitudes, perceptions of teacher practices, and grade retention for students of teachers who did and did not complete the program. Results showed the program had few positive…

Presents study results examining the effectiveness of teacher praise on children's on-task behavior. Describes Canter's Assertive Discipline, its use in Australia, and the basics of a study of the technique. Reports that all teacher subjects increased rates of praising following training, and all but one student improved levels of behavior.…

Autobiographical reports were collected of workplace collegiality from elementary teachers who had successfully made fundamental changes from more traditional and routine to nontraditional, less routine reading and writing instructional practices. Results found collegial talk was an important component in the gradual process of making a…

Explores how one state's draft standards addressed five areas: skill development/maintenance through inservice, existence of different teaching and learning styles, effects of varied teaching experiences, development of commonly- and rarely-used skills, and standards' potential for fostering inclusion. Nine participating teachers reported greatest…

A pull-out folder presents the latest information and resources about teaching reading. After offering statistics about reading and reading instruction, the folder examines National Council of Teachers of English and English/International Reading Association standards, explains how to nurture a love of reading in students, and offers resources for…

This paper reports on a study that looked at the concerns of elementary school teachers in their second year of teaching and explored the role that institutions of higher education (IHE) might play in this phase of teachers' development. The sample was comprised of two groups of second year teachers (N=25); one group had participated in a…

This study focused on innercity elementary school staff perceptions of the process they engaged in, which emerged from the principal's initiative to move the school culture in a more collaborative direction and thus further develop pedagogical practice and student social and academic growth. Research in this case study involved observations and…

The faculty at an urban school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade were concerned about poor teacher performance on an area of the Texas Teacher Appraisal System (TTAS) that assessed their ability to present information accurately and to explain content and/or learning tasks clearly. Responding to their concern, this document describes an…