This study examined the effects of grouping students by ability or achievement on middle school students' academic achievement. Mathematics achievement scores from the California Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) were obtained from 25 seventh graders randomly selected from a group of 80 who had received instruction in an ability-grouped setting for…

Prompted by widely held concerns about middle schools' academic rigor and the effectiveness of activities designed to help early adolescents develop in non-academic realms, many middle school educators have renewed efforts to develop curricula and instructional strategies that challenge students academically and expand their intellectual…

Suggests organizing one or more vocational home economics classes by the entrepreneur system to operate the class as a nonprofit business. Lists activities for planning and implementing the operation, benefits for the students, and ideas to develop skills in professional sewing, food service production, and occupational homemaking. (MF)

Observed six children from two primary grade classrooms in different instructional settings: teacher-directed/large group; teacher- and child-directed/large and small group; and child-directed. Children's choice was related to high levels of cognitive functioning, language production, cooperative behavior, and generative use of materials. (MM)

Discusses the use of time and space in primary classrooms, referring to what is known about how young children learn best. Discusses four steps to organizing the classroom. (BB)

Describes a study which explored the effects of a program to help low-achieving fourth and fifth grade students increase their mathematics achievement. Students and teachers organized into a community of learners; the curriculum, organized around units of study with major concepts, skills, and operations, was effective for all achievers. (SM)

The Development and Demonstration project has trained interns to lead Effective Use of Time inservice workshops for secondary school teachers of basic reading and mathematical skills. These interns then returned to their home bases and trained teachers who could in turn train other teachers to use the Stallings Effective Use of Time methods. The…

This guide provides training units for high school home economics teachers to use with students interested in developing a child caregiver's knowledge and skills. Participation in a one-semester course based on the state's Child Development Curriculum Guide and another course based on this guide is expected to provide excellent preparation for the…

This longitudinal study investigated the frequency and type of cross-sex peer interactions which occurred in six first grade classrooms. The effects of task structures (or patterns of instructional organization), and the impact of the racial composition of the classrooms on the frequency and type of cross-sex interactions were also explored.…

Student interaction patterns in eight elementary school classrooms were examined to investigate (1) the relationship between interaction patterns and sociometric indicators of friends, (2) the process by which children become stratified, and (3) the structure of peer relationships in classrooms. Chapter 1, the introduction, briefly discusses the…

Noting that computer based environments for communication may have profound effects upon classroom social organization and the development of literacy, this paper reports on a project that used QUILL, a software system that includes both tools that facilitate writing and new environments for communication. Following a brief introduction to the…

To facilitate cost effective bus schedules, middle school classes begin one hour later than high school classes in the Fort Worth Independent School District, Texas. This study investigated whether middle school students were adversely affected, in terms of grades and classroom performance, by having the class day extended to 4 p.m. High schools…

Beginning teachers were studied from the completion of student teaching through the first nine weeks of instruction as professional teachers. Data was collected at the end of student teaching, the end of school orientation, and at the end of the third and ninth weeks of teaching. In addition, they reported their concerns and problems and the means…

This is an evaluation report on a Title VII bilingual program that was conducted in Community School District 30, Queens, in New York City during 1980-81. The report states that the program served pupils of limited English capacity whose native languages were Greek, Chinese, Italian, and Spanish. The program's goals, activities and structure are…

In the last decade, the Office of Education has granted several billions of dollars to local educational agencies (LEAs) in an attempt to stimulate, and sometimes force, educational improvements. This paper was presented at a symposium considering experiences accumulated in a recent national study of federal change programs as they have (or have…