Background: Between 1910 and 1930, IQ tests were introduced to and institutionalized in American schools. IQ testing represents an important component of the first wave of test-driven educational reform in American history, but surprisingly, there is relatively little research focusing on public educators' perception of these tests at the time,…

Evaluated were the effects of three different instructional programs (open education, structure of the intellect, and conventional contrast) on 56 bright kindergarten children of either high or low socioeconomic status (SES). Recognized experts evaluated the open and structured classes giving them positive ratings as being representative of the…

This paper reviews Lev Vygotsky's theories concerning optimizing of potential through assistance, support, or instruction. The paper notes that there is a "zone of proximal development" or a band around intelligence quotient (IQ) scores reflecting one's true potential. IQ tests are generally well-standardized and "static,"…

This response to Detterman and Thompson (1997) analyzes their criticisms of special education and presents evidence of the effectiveness of current instructional techniques for children with disabilities in contrast with the cognitive approaches favored by Detterman and Thompson. Assumptions about the significance of intelligence testing and…

Compared were the effectiveness of individualized instruction in a mainstreamed open classroom setting and instruction in a traditional classroom setting on the achievement levels of 56 low ability students (grades 1-6). Two groups of Ss, paired for grade level and IQ, were tested after 1, 2, and 3 years of exposure to the models. There was no…

There is considerable interest in the potential non-musical cognitive and academic benefits of music listening and instruction to children. This report describes three lines of research relevant to this issue, namely, the effects of: (1) focused music listening on subsequent task performance (the Mozart effect); (2) music instruction; and (3)…

The third of five volumes on the means by which Canadian communities can reduce the incidence of mental retardation, minimize existing impairment, and improve the quality of life of the mentally retarded, this booklet focuses on the education of handicapped children and the value of integration with non-handicapped peers in the home and community.…

This study investigated factors contributing to auditory, speech, language, and reading outcomes in 136 children (ages 8-9) with prelingual deafness after 4-6 years of cochlear implants. While child and family characteristics accounted for 20% of outcome variance, the primary rehabilitative factor was educational emphasis on oral-aural…

This study examined the efficacy of two educational practices designed to prevent learning difficulties in children from high risk families (N=64) during the first 8 years of life. The preventive treatments included: (1) educational daycare plus family education from birth to age 5 followed by a home/school resource program from kindergarten…