More and more cities and counties fund and run their own early childhood programs, but each seems to operate them in its own unique way. While the opportunity to design and build a new program can be inspiring, the process itself can be painstaking and fraught with second guesses. Unfortunately, there are few resources to help policymakers and…

To its credit, the new National Curriculum Statement (NCS) for GET (General Education and Training) recently revised into a new Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in RSA has put a premium on the inclusion of environmental learning as an integrated component of all subject areas in the primary school phase of learning. This is in…

All students, including struggling readers, need opportunities to make choices in their reading. Schools should shun round-robin oral reading and basal readers, prioritize reading time, allocate resources for varied reading materials keyed to student interests, and develop better reading teachers, not better reading programs. (Contains 20…

Activity coaches from university teacher education and health education programs were trained to use individualized accommodations to help six children (ages 6-13) with developmental disabilities participate in community recreation activities. Children participated in swim classes or gymnastics at individualized levels, expressed enjoyment, and…

This report describes compensatory education (CE) programs and compares their classroom activities with those of regular instruction programs. This report is part of an extensive series of studies on CE and its long-term effects. Data were collected through interviews, structured observations, and the generation of narrative protocols based on…

This article describes PHAST (for Phonological and Strategy Training), a research-based remedial reading program that focuses on the primary obstacles to word identification learning and independent decoding that most students with reading disabilities face and the steps necessary to help these children achieve independent reading skills.…

This reprint of an article on how one rural school district was able to use effectively a variety of acceleration strategies in different elementary schools is preceded by a commentary that stresses that the form of programming is less crucial than the training and attitude of the participating teachers. (Contains 3 references.) (CR)

Described is the development of the Self-Schedule System, which aims at optimizing instructional time by teaching students to manage their own time and tasks. Program components for training students and for providing structural and ecological supports for flexible usage of school resources are outlined and research findings discussed. (SJL)

This paper reviews research on effective pull-out programs for elementary students who are at risk for school failure. The emphasis is on programs that can be readily replicated by schools other than those that developed them. The focus is on programs provided to students who have been identified as in need of remedial services which are…

The results of an evaluation of a New Brunswick elementary school immersion program show that native speakers of English do not achieve the same proficiency in French language skills as they do in English. This is due to their limited exposure to native French speaking models outside the classroom. (MSE)

This feasibility study was conducted to determine the appropriateness and viability of developing a video-based training program to assist music educators in mainstreaming students with disabilities into general music classes. Following an introduction, the report is organized into five chapters: (1) Mainstreaming and Music Education, which…

This article describes the problem-solving model (PSM) used in the Minneapolis Public Schools to guide decisions regarding intervention in general education, special education referral, and evaluation for special education eligibility for high-incidence disabilities. Program evaluation indicates students received special education services earlier…

Important features of practicums for teachers of elementary school language immersion programs include: mentoring and peer coaching; guidance in self-analysis, observation, and reflection on teaching practices; and experience with realities of immersion. A period of induction beyond the practicum is also recommended. (19 references) (MSE)

Recent evaluations of Federal compensatory education programs funded by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, Title I, and maintained by the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981, Chapter 1, point to qualified effectiveness in the targeting of services, program structures, and classroom arrangements for increasing the…

This report reacting to three papers presented at the conference on compensatory education with special reference to Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 focuses on a series of topics pertaining to the relationship between compensatory education and regular education. The report begins by summarizing the conclusions…