Examination of about 300 Black and White first graders demonstrates that providing a great deal of instructional time and using high-quality, challenging materials are critical to student success in reading and that grouping students by ability within a class and then matching the pace of instruction to students' ability bolsters achievement. (BJV)

Study examines whether male and female teachers differ in (1) their background or training for instructional uses of microcomputers and (2) their uses of microcomputers to teach mathematics and science. Data are given on district and school microcomputer policies, classroom contexts, and teacher characteristics, instructional decisions, and…

Turning around a low-performing school is a complex process in which cause-effect relationships are difficult to isolate. But recent interest in helping low-performing schools--spurred on by the reforms mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act--has generated some useful research and thoughtful analysis. This digest explores some of the key…

The Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance followed the progress of students in high-poverty schools as they moved from third to fifth grade, investigating the impact on student achievement of specific classroom practices fostered by school-, district-, and state-level policies. This analysis, conducted between 1996-99 as part of…

The Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance (LESCP) analyses were organized around policies embodied in Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This study measured changes in student performance in seventy-one high-poverty schools, which included many schools that had implemented standards-based reform policies. The…

Judges have interpreted the First Amendment as forbidding the establishment of religion by the state and guaranteeing free exercise of individual religious liberty. The two clauses require public school officials to adopt a position of neutrality with regard to religion in the school setting. Educators must walk a fine line, accommodating…

This guide is intended to provide guidelines, from a British perspective, for group discussion of issues relevant to developing a school policy to meet the needs of students who are very able. The guide utilizes short case studies and a series of mindmaps to illustrate issues and highlight key planning and decision-making points. The guide begins…

This document contains the proceedings of a hearing held on August 13, 1999, before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth, and Families. The hearing addressed school safety, discipline, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Following opening remarks of the congressmen, the report includes…

This checklist offers tips and resources to help schools identify opportunities to "green" their buildings and operations, focusing on common-sense improvements that schools can make in their daily operations to minimize or stop potential health and environmental problems before they start. The first section discusses the benefits of a…

This paper reports on a study to determine if teacher self-efficacy in site-based managed schools differed from teacher self-efficacy in schools that were not site-based managed. The study also examined whether there was a relationship between self-efficacy in site-based managed schools and schools that were not site-based managed in regards to…

Due process has become an important principle in higher education as a result of many new legal issues, including dismissals of students from campus, firings of staff members, faculty tenure and promotion, sexual harassment, discrimination, and substance abuse. This volume defines due process; explains when due process procedures are required;…

Students should know their rights and liberties, and they need to be better informed and better equipped about how to assert and defend these precious things. The protectors of students' rights and liberties--those faculty, administrators, parents, alumni, friends, citizens, advisers, and attorneys who care about such vital matters--should…

"Tackling Drugs in Scotland: Action in Partnership" (1999) set out a national strategy for all government agencies in response to public concern at the increasing incidence and negative consequences of drug misuse. Targets and monitoring arrangements were publicised to encourage co-ordinated action against drug misuse. By the end of…

Describes one-room country schools in South Dakota--importance of patrons; self-sufficiency and varied skills of teachers; administrators who deal with each school individually; advantages of the students (having several grades taught in one room, small teacher-student ratios, student interdependency, opportunity for creativity, close parental…

The federal Campus Security Act, an amendment to the Student Consumer Information Act of 1976 and amended by the Sexual Assault Victim's Bill of Rights (1992) and other federal laws, requires that colleges and universities provide substantial information to students and employees. The requirement crosses boundaries of student affairs, academic…