Describes a program developed at City University of New York (CUNY) Medical School that was designed to facilitate learning and retention of difficult concepts and principles in first-year biology and chemistry courses. Topics addressed include small group interaction, cooperative learning, mastery learning, interactive technology, and information…

This document presents a collection of materials on school performance in Maryland, especially as demonstrated in the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) and the Independence Mastery Assessment Program (IMAP) for some special needs students. The MSPAP is a testing program administered to third, fifth, and eighth grade students…

This speech presents a teacher's account of the implementation of the Standards of Excellence Program in a Denver, Colorado, elementary school. Eight questions from the assessment instrument are cited that prompted the staff to reevaluate the educational program. Results of the assessment were analyzed by a committee, and objectives were set by…

A review of literature on learning disabled and emotionally disturbed children is presented, focusing upon the role of the physical education teacher as a part of the educational team responsible for implementing individualized education programs. The close relationship between learning disabilities and emotional disturbances is examined, and…

The eight papers in this compendium were commissioned from faculty and staff members to provide a research and theoretical base for selected components of a University of Kentucky report on a teaching experience involving mainstreamed elementary school children. That experience was reported in "Perspectives of an Ivory Tower Realist," a monograph…

The Coalition of Essential Schools promotes the following principles: (1) personalized instruction; (2) student-as-worker, teacher-as-coach; (3) focus on adolescents; (4) focus on essential skills and knowledge; (5) teachers as generalists; (6) diploma by exhibition of mastery; (7) goals for all students; (8) tone of expectation, trust, and…

This description of popular private educational system in Japan, the Kumon Method, focuses on instruction in arithmetic for primary school students. Highlights include the educational philosophy of the system, instructor training, acceptance by parents, and use of the system as a model for educational systems of the future. (LRW)

Learning academic English is probably one of the surest, most reliable ways of attaining socioeconomic success in the United States today. Learners cannot function in school settings effectively without it. This variety of English entails the multiple, complex features of English required for success in public schooling and career advancement. It…

This monograph presents data and conclusions derived from one phase of an investigation of objectives and methods in the teaching of modern foreign languages in high schools and colleges. A committee of specialists operating under the auspices of the American Council of Education and with financial assistance received from the Carnegie Corporation…

Milwaukee's Highland Community school was opened in 1968 as an independent school (and is still funded mostly by donations) to provide a quality Montessori education and nurturing environment for economically and culturally diverse groups of families on the city's economically depressed Near West Side. Governed by a 9-member parent board of…

In 1980, the Maryland State Education Agency initiated a statewide effort, School Improvement Through Instructional Process (SITIP), to put into practice the results of research on classroom management and school effectiveness. SITIP was intended to provide training and technical support to all local education agencies (LEA's) during the adoption…

In spite of the brief duration of the Mastery Learning Program at Durham College, this final report on the activities and outcomes of the project reveals several positive effects upon students and faculty. The report begins by providing background data on the college, an independent junior college serving a population of economically disadvantaged…

The task of designing instruction encompasses three major activities: preparing instruction, instructing, and evaluating instruction. The major activities comprising instructional design are most effectively accommodated when (1) a systems-based format is employed and (2) they are addressed at the three levels of instructional design: the program…

Describes the following roles and duties of teachers working as a team in the Hope Essential High School: (1) plan the curriculum; (2) have flexible schedules; (3) have common planning time; (4) advise students; (5) choose own grading system; and (6) promote the ideal of student-as-worker. (BJV)

This paper describes the personalized system of instruction (PSI), a teaching method based on a high student involvement in the learning process, immediate feedback, mastery learning, and careful planning and instructional design of the course content. With PSI, students proceed through the course at their own pace and are required to demonstrate…