The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of reduced class size on achievement in the primary grades. Scores on a variety of tests were used to compare the achievement of groups of primary students who had been enrolled in Indiana's Project Primetime with the achievement of cohort groups who had received instruction in larger classes…

A Nonequivalent Control Group Design, an analytical evaluation technique, was used to assess the effectiveness of an individualized inservice approach for vocational teachers of disadvantaged learners in Pennsylvania. The experimental group consisted of vocational teachers volunteering to participate in an individualized inservice program; the…

The use of performance-based teacher education (PBTE) learning packages for inservice teacher training of vocational education teachers in Arkansas was evaluated. The study sought to determine what teaching competencies vocational-technical teachers have mastered since the PBTE program began five years ago, to what extent vocational teachers are…

The central purpose of this study was to assess the level of mastery of Florida secondary students enrolled in applied principles of agribusiness and natural resources occupations programs during the 1982-83 school year. In addition, the study sought to determine which recommended competencies were in fact being taught by teachers. The data were…

This paper reviews the results of research on various programs for learning French as a second language from kindergarten to grade 11 or 12 in selected Canadian school systems. Generally, it examines the effects of a number of factors on French learning, such as student selection procedures and student ability, starting age, total amount of time…

In an effort to evaluate the effectiveness of the Georgia Life Skills for Mental Health Leader's Guides, a panel of 13 teachers who had used the materials was assembled. The panel members filled out extensive questionnaires assessing the educational value, communicability, motivational value, utility and format of the Guides, whose purpose is to…

Over a period of three years, the National Consortium for Humanizing Education worked with teachers and students in two states to test hypotheses drawn from a model in which student outcomes (including good mental health) were seen as the results of a learning process occurring between individuals rather than as the product of an institutionalized…

The over-all purpose of this research project was to improve teacher efficiency in the undergraduate special education program at Southern Connecticut State College through the training of prospective teachers in the following three areas: interpersonal skills, attitudes and values toward minority groups, and clinical teaching approaches for…

A review of research on foreign language proficiency, constraints of language learning, and constraints of the learner suggests that current oral language proficiency standards and tests are more helpful in evaluating the effectiveness of a foreign language program than in evaluating the achievement of individual students. (CB)

The behavior of children from a wide range of family backgrounds was observed in elementary school classrooms several years after program services had been delivered. The results indicated that program participants benefited, particularly in the area of academic learning behavior. (Author/BW)

As adolescents mature, their social skills are called upon to form and maintain relationships. Noting that the quality of those relationships has important consequences for adolescent development, this research brief presents information on social competency in adolescence. More than 360 research studies were reviewed to examine the factors that…

This action research project evaluated a program designed to increase the use of appropriate social skills and improve academic achievement. The targeted population was comprised of first through third graders in four separate communities located in northeast Illinois. Evidence of the problem included teacher observational checklists denoting…

This action research project examined the effectiveness of an intervention to improve social skills in order to improve student behavior, reduce off-task behavior, and reduce loss of instructional time. The targeted population was a sixth grade class with 25 students in an elementary school in a rural setting. The problem of student behavior,…

It is argued that cognitive/academic language proficiencies in first and second languages are interdependent and empirically distinguishable from interpersonal communication skills. This analysis is applied to the interpretation of data on the effects of bilingual education programs and on the age issue in second language learning. (PMJ)

Recent research and program evaluations show that the poor academic performance of many bilingual children was caused not by their bilingualism but by the school's attempts to eradicate that bilingualism. These findings demonstrate that bilingualism can positively affect minority children's development when their first language is promoted by the…