In Fall 1998, the Maryland State Department of Education and six local school systems started a pilot program to evaluate the impact of serving breakfast to students in the classroom as part of the school day. Students in participating schools have an opportunity to eat breakfast in their classroom each day at no charge, regardless of family…

This article reports the progress of 13 learning-disabled students after 1 year of planning and 1 year of implementing the "Mainstream Experiences for the Learning Disabled" (MELD) model in an urban elementary school. Students made no significant progress in reading or math and earned lower grades during the implementation year. (DB)

Describes components of Anytown, a group model designed to promote direct, intergroup contact and to increase racial tolerance among high school students. Examines dynamics of Anytown program: how activities are intended to affect participants' thinking and relationships with others and how direct contact is used to promote favorable human rights…

South Carolina has found that meaningful improvement in Chapter 1 schools requires taking six crucial steps: (1) set meaningful goals; (2) pay attention to school culture; (3) revamp the curriculum; (4) pick up the pace; (5) integrate learning objectives with the regular program; and (6) change teaching tactics. An insert summarizes changes…

A chemistry outreach program to enthuse students of elementary school levels through employing popular children's literature Harry Potter is presented. The outreach activity performance found the students discovering new skills, learning more about science, and participating enthusiastically in the program without any added incentive from their…

This report summarizes results from three large-scale reviews of research on the impact of social and emotional learning (SEL) programs on elementary and middle-school students--that is, programs that seek to promote various social and emotional skills. Collectively the three reviews included 317 studies and involved 324,303 children. SEL programs…

This study uses rich empirical data from Brazil to assess how a government program (PDE) that decentralizes school management decisions changes what goes on in schools and how these changes affect student outcomes. It appears that the PDE resulted in some improvements in management and learning materials, but little change in other areas including…

In North Carolina, businesspeople and legislators are concerned that students are inadequately informed about the free enterprise system. State law requires instruction in economics and businesses have provided educational support, but teachers and superintendents must become convinced that economics education is important before a comprehensive…

This report presents findings of a study conducted to identify the components of systems that effectively meet the diverse, ever changing needs of children with disabilities for whom traditional school settings do not work. A secondary goal of this study was to develop a conceptually clear and empirically grounded definition of alternative…

Fourth-grade students in one elementary school were administered a listening inventory, the Listening Composite section of the Test of Language Development-Intermediate, and a questionnaire "Are You a Good Listener" to assess their listening skills. The results showed that students lacked listening skills and did not have adequate…

An elementary school teacher designed and implemented a program intended to reduce excessive absenteeism among first grade public school students. The program consisted of four basic parts: (1) perusal of attendance cards and grade books prior to treatment; (2) implementaton of treatment; (3) post-perusal of attendance cards and grade books; and…

This document profiles locally developed programs that have proved effective in specific schools. The material is presented in a manner that is useful to other schools and/or districts. On-site coordinators worked with schools, districts, and departments in the Pacific region to define their problems, determine which of the practices held promise…

A study was conducted to determine if changes in a student's writing and speaking skills over the period of a semester could be measured reliably and to measure what changes, if any, occur in these skills over this period. A pretest-posttest design employing the speech and writing portions of ACT's College Outcome Measures Project was used to…

Assessed the impact of stress management training as part of an academic skills training program upon students' (N=22) self-reported symptoms of stress and academic performance. Results indicated that success-stress management treatment was more effective in reducing stress and increasing academic performance than success treatment alone. (LLL)

In fall 1998, the Maryland State Department of Education and six schools began a pilot program to evaluate the impact of serving breakfast to students in the classroom as part of the school day. Students in participating schools have an opportunity to eat breakfast in their classroom each day at no charge, regardless of family income. The program,…