Some of the major barriers to progress in special education reform are highlighted, and critical issues for improving the prospects of achieving equity in schooling success for all of the children in U.S. schools are discussed. Vignettes illustrate what new programs and policies for helping students might actually mean for the students and their…

This practicum endeavored to improve science laboratory instruction for elementary students. The major goal of the practicum was to facilitate laboratory use so that teachers would incorporate laboratory experiences as an integral component in science instruction. To improve the instructional significance of the science laboratory, the writer…

A review of North Carolina public preschool, elementary school, and secondary school education was done with the aim of increasing school districts' effectiveness in improving outcomes for all students, particularly improving the low achievement and postsecondary school attendance rates of African American males. Focus was on determining the…

This course of study was developed for intermediate and junior high students in the Defiance (Ohio) public schools who are talented and gifted in the visual arts, providing for an in-depth and sequential development of skills and concepts. The program's philosophy stresses that, while the products of the arts are important, a need exists to…

The assessment portfolio is a collection of materials and forms for testing and recording student progress at F.S. Key Elementary School, Arlington, Virginia. The materials are designed for use in an elementary school two-way partial immersion program. Introductory sections discuss the use of portfolios for monitoring student performance and…

Despite evidence of ineffectiveness, the American educational system remains tied to the child-centered, Piagetian approach to educating children. Based on the romantic notions of Rousseau, this approach maintains that children should not be viewed as receptacles of information that is dispensed by teachers but as active discoverers in a learning…

An essay to test writing skill has been administered to North Carolina sixth and eighth graders for 10 years. In 1992-93, fourth graders were also tested. Each year compositions are graded by readers trained to apply a uniform set of criteria to the essays. Composition criteria are main ideas, supporting detail, organization, and coherence. A…

Case studies and episodes are presented that indicate the adjustment of Asian American language minority students to the mainstream U.S. culture. Chapter 1 places the study in the context of macro- and micro-ethnographic research on immigrant and minority educational achievement. Chapter 2 compiles demographic data and background on each major…

Parental involvement is critical to a child's success in school. This handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 1 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Education "Program of Studies: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to…

Parental involvement is critical to a child's success in school. This handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 2 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Education "Program of Studies: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to…

Parental involvement is critical to a child's success in school. This handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 3 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Education "Program of Studies: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to…

The Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP) of Travis County, Texas, serves students aged 10 to 17 who have been expelled from the Travis County, Luling, and Gonzalez school districts under Chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code for serious offenses such as felony drug possession, assault, or weapons possession. The program provides…

April 1990 marked the tenth year of the effort mandated by the Arizona State Legislature to assess student performance through nationally standardized norm-referenced achievement testing in reading, grammar, and mathematics for students in grades 1 through 12. This was the sixth year the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills were administered to students in…

This paper studies pretest-to-posttest, posttest-to-sustained effect, and pretest-to-sustained effect changes for 3,775 students in grades 2 through 8 who participated in Chapter 1 reading/mathematics programs in Columbus (Ohio) Public Schools during the 1989-90 school year. Data for 16 analysis groups were collected in spring of 1989, 1990, and…

This booklet is intended to help parents and teachers of primary school children understand children's growth, development, and learning. The first section, following a general introduction, lists methods parents and teachers can use to share information about children, schools, and classrooms. The second section discusses the learning process,…