Engaging students seriously in their own academic learning is a persistent difficulty for teachers. The goal of this action research project was to actively involve elementary school students in their learning. The program was implemented at three elementary schools in northern Illinois serving multicultural populations; special education…

This paper documents student, teacher, and administrator attitudes toward the initiation of performance-based tests on a statewide level in Mississippi. The initial study surveyed approximately 620 test participants in grades 1 through 10 during the period between the fall test administration and the receipt of the test results in January. The…

The goal of this book is to assist parents in understanding their children's behavior. Chapter one focuses on the transition to school and addresses preparation, first-day jitters, changing schools, when to begin elementary school, promotion, and retention. Chapter two addresses academic issues at school and focuses on dealing with learning…

The impact of an inquiry approach on both teaching and learning in a technology-rich grade-1 classroom participating in the Cooperative Alliance for Gifted Education (CAGE) is described. CAGE is a partnership project that combines the resources of the Cleveland (Ohio) public schools, Kent State University, and International Business Machines Corp.…

This document describes how Philadelphia's (Pennsylvania) Asian students who exited from the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESOL) program in June 1990 at seven New Instructional Model schools functioned in mainstream classes. The study population included 42 high school students, 6 middle school students, and 13 elementary school students. The data…

The meaning of academic achievement for African American students was studied in 2 populations, a sample of 145 (53% males, 47% female) African American middle school and high school students in an African American Academy summer enrichment program and 45 African American high school seniors (36% males, 64% females) in a summer program for…

An important component of sound middle school education is a commitment to providing coordinated advising and counseling services in the school setting. This handbook describes how middle school professionals can develop small group advisory support for each student. Known variously as home-base, advisor-advisee, or teacher advisory (TA) programs,…

Problems in students completing homework may be related to lack of parental involvement and support, student attitudes and priorities, and the assigning of inappropriate and irrelevant homework. This action research project implemented and examined the effectiveness of increased communication with parents regarding homework, cooperative learning…

The OSAP High Risk Youth Demonstration Program of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is directed toward the prevention of substance abuse through experiences offered in an after-school program. This is the second year that the program has been implemented in the six elementary schools and one middle school of the Mississippi Choctaw…

A critical ingredient for understanding the experiences that students undergo in the transition from elementary school to junior high school is the students' changing perceptions. The Ecological Perspectives for Successful Schooling Practice Junior High School Transition Study tapped the perceptions of students in transition using data from two…

This document is the first volume of a two-volume study that explores the gender and racial/ethnic factors contributing to differential participation and performance in mathematics by elementary and secondary school students in the Montgomery County Public Schools (Maryland). This first volume contains an introduction and three major sections.…

The cumulative, long term impact of alternative kindergarten scheduling for everyday half- and full-day programs was examined for three successive cohorts of children. Dependent measures included academic achievement, school sentiment, personal-social behavior, school attendance, and referral to special education classes. Parent perception of…

An interdisciplinary unit designed to modify racial attitudes of primary school students was implemented in a multicultural setting. The target group was a class of 27 second-grade students representing nine countries: the United States, Haiti, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Mexico, Ecuador, Pakistan, and China. Classroom problems included…

A 21-item questionnaire was designed to determine the effects of teachers' sex, age and physical attractiveness on primary students' expectations of teacher performance. The questionnaire, administered to 144 third grade students, included photographs of male and female teachers who varied in age and physical attractiveness. The students were…

A one-year study evaluated the Human Development Program, or "Magic Circle," a project (conducted in the Tuscaloosa County (Alabama) School District) designed to explore student concerns and ideas in the areas of awareness, mastery, and social interaction and consisting of daily twenty-minute classroom meetings of teacher and pupils in a…