This issue of the Australian Early Childhood Association Research in Practice Series focuses on creating aesthetically pleasing environments in early childhood care and education settings. The booklet details characteristics of aesthetically pleasing environments and discusses how early childhood practitioners' reflection upon the school or center…

School boards can improve their schools if they focus on four factors that educational research says most strongly influence school effectiveness. The four factors are (1) the time students spend on the subject matter each day, (2) textbooks, (3) teachers and their teaching methods, and (4) principals' support to help teachers achieve…

This information brief describes problems involved in scheduling elementary-school specialist teachers and offers suggestions for resolving them. Poor scheduling results in fragmented classes, unequal distribution of instructional time, and lack of common planning time. Poor scheduling is usually due to lack of congruence between school mission…

The newsletter for parents of handicapped children focuses on summer activities which provide fun and learning without undue expense or effort. Suggestions include encouraging reading activities (including visiting the library, reading out loud, selective television viewing, making a book, and writing letters). Activities to encourage the child's…

The theme for the spring/summer 2002 issue of "The Ledger" is "Warp Speed: How Life Has Changed since 1980." The issue provides an overview of economic and technological changes and focuses on: how people work; the way people handle their money; the way people learn; the cars people drive; how people spend their spare time; and…

The relevance of homework in today's schools is explored in this bulletin. Following the introduction, chapter 1 examines the effect of homework on academic achievement and concludes that there is a lack of agreement on the benefits of homework and on the amount of time students should spend on it. Chapter 2 describes homework practices in some…

Two challenges that confront principals attempting to generate effective collaborative planning time with teachers are examined in this document: altering the conventional schedule and ensuring productive use of planning time. Principals, superintendents, and other educators were interviewed about the techniques and outcomes of these two aspects.…

This newsletter issue discusses time management techniques for parents of special needs children. Techniques include changing one's attitudes about perfection, prioritizing tasks, having a back-up plan, learning to say "no," asking for help, keeping things simple, hiring others, using waiting time wisely, and doing two things at once. Household…

The role of three professional groups--adaptive physical educators, therapeutic recreation specialists, and special educators--in planning individualized leisure programs for disabled persons is discussed. Characteristics of such programs should take into consideration principles of normalization and least restrictive environment. A systems…

This newsletter issue focuses on toys, games, and activities that entertain special needs children and sharpen their ability to think, speak, and play with others. Play is beneficial to special children as it develops their creativity, helps them explore their environment, allows them to socialize, and provides opportunities for them to act out…

This document consists of all 20 issues of the journal "Perceptions" published from fall 1990 through summer 1998 (8 years). Issues include articles about methods, materials, approaches, and techniques for working with students with emotional and behavioral disorders. (CR)

This issue examines the causes and effects of stress among parents of handicapped children and offers guidance for reducing and/or avoiding stress. The factors contributing to parental stress are identified, including unfounded guilt feelings, prolonged dependency of the handicapped child, extended care requirements, marital discord and family…

School board members can use board policies to set the direction for effective instructional management. Effective schools appear to have these characteristics in common: (1) strong instructional leadership by the principal, (2) a safe and orderly atmosphere, (3) high expectations of all students, (4) schoolwide emphasis on basic skills…

This special journal section contains five major articles concerned with the education of children with disabilities, especially with emotional or behavioral disorders. The lead article by Ramon M. Rocha and Susan McCue, discusses the education of emotionally disturbed (ED) students in New York State as directed by the Commissioner of Education's…

Presented are abstracts and abstractors' analyses of 10 studies related to one or more aspects of teacher education and 2 studies in a "miscellaneous" category. Analyses in the first section (teacher education) are on studies of: the use of wait-time and its effect on science achievement; teacher competencies; the influence of teacher…