Prejudice and systematic discrimination have often been mentioned as major causes for the chronic underachievement of Roma students. In this paper we present a case study of a Romanian teacher involved in Second Chance, an educational program implemented in Romania in 2004 for the benefit of disadvantaged groups such as the Roma population. Since…

Compares the elementary reading programs in the two countries and describes the remedial programs in Hamburg. (RB)

Three Oaks Elementary School in Fort Myers, Florida, was the first school to adopt Core Knowledge, an articulated K-6 curriculum promoted by E.D. Hirsch, author of "Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know" (1987). Hirsch feels that emphasizing skills over knowledge unintentionally injures disadvantaged students. Program…

A group of teachers at a large, urban Texas district participated in a project to develop and teach study units based on E.D. Hirsch's Core Knowledge Curriculum. Drawing on their deliberations and university coursework, teachers selected topics, built units, and devised literacy strategies to teach core knowledge content. (Contains 34 references.)…

For the past three years, the Center for School Improvement has collaborated with many Chicago elementary schools on an Urban School Development Initiative. This article discusses evolving understandings based on authors' work with member schools pursuing fundamental restructuring through literacy education and ponders the research university's…

As a Leadership School in the (California) Bay Area School Reform Collaborative, Hawthorne Elementary has implemented wide-ranging programs for parents and students, including TRIBES, conflict mediation, a health and dental clinic, and a parent center. Hawthorne successfully developed whole community consensus-building, decision-making and…

Poised to help legally homeless parents become their children's best teachers, instructors in a Nevada literacy program found that human relationships took precedence over academics. Instructors learned the importance of renaming the program (to avoid association with prior academic failure) and blending literacy activities with hot meals, family…

A program at Viers Mill Elementary School (Silver Spring, Maryland) to develop the literacy skills of both English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and native English students is described. The program uses a co-teaching model, in which classroom teachers and ESL teachers collaborate by providing readers' and writers' workshops. The workshops have been…

Describes a successful early start, long sequence Japanese foreign language in the elementary school (FLES) program that was identified as one of seven model programs in a national project funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Highlights literacy instruction in Japanese, student assessment, language camps, visits to Japan, parent…

Coral Way Elementary School (Florida), the nation's oldest 20th-century public bilingual school, is recognized as a model for bilingual education. Its curriculum promotes enrichment and language development while building on the languages students bring to school. As well as a medium for moving students to English proficiency, it is a vehicle for…

Describes a basic literacy project targeting deprived children in Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India. Considers such program features as the use of 35 slum and public utility centers as sites for teaching basic skills, nutrition, and hygiene; flexible schedules including morning classes for slum children and afternoon and evening classes for working…

Describes a program to improve the reading skills of primary and junior level students by encouraging parents to listen to their child reading at home for at least 20 minutes daily. Notes program results including improved reading development, better home-school relationships, and increased circulation for school and community libraries. (JHZ)

The Strong Beginnings program, initiated by the Save the Children Fund in 1991, supports community-based activities in 20 countries aimed at reconstructing educational systems in developing countries. This report presents the vision of the Strong Beginnings program, describes its components, and describes the continuing challenge to improve access…

A study of a bilingual program in a Deaf school in Minnesota examines the following: the principles primary grade teachers articulate and demonstrate as important for the use of American Sign Language (ASL) to teach English literacy; the strategies primary grade teachers use to teach English literacy through ASL; and how primary grade teachers use…

The General Electric (GE) Early Years Initiative, a grant-funded GE Fund, GE's corporate Foundation and GE Elfun, GE's international program created by volunteer organization, has helped elementary school students improve their reading skills through the use of volunteers since 1994. This publication describes Early Years projects, provides…