This study examined the practices of effective kindergarten programs with respect to literacy instruction so as to provide models for schools working to educate large populations of at-risk students. Three kindergarten programs participated. Research methods included observations of reading instruction and intervention programs and survey and…

This article summarizes a formative evaluation of a two-year project to provide professional development in technology for urban early childhood teachers. The researcher collected and analyzed data from interviews of 18 teachers. Using the constant comparative method the researcher identified common barriers that inhibited the effective…

In this article, the authors talk about the Summer Safari program that is designed for 9-to 14-year-old students. It targets individuals with an interest in comic books and a penchant for writing stories and/or drawing. The highlight of this multidisciplinary workshop is the seamless integration of writing, fine arts, and computer technology to…

How can families and early childhood professionals provide quality, inclusive early childhood education for young children with and without disabilities? That's the question posed in this "Impact "issue. In its pages, parents reflect on their experiences with early childhood education and inclusion for their children--what was helpful, what was…

The significant increase of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States raises complex questions about how to provide these students with access to high quality education that can improve both their content knowledge of school subjects and their English proficiency, particularly their academic English proficiency. The development of…

Web-based computer-aided instruction (CAI) has become increasingly important to medical curricula. This multi-year study investigated the effectiveness of CAI and the factors affecting level of individual use. Three CAI were tested that differed in specificity of applicability to the curriculum and in the level of student interaction with the CAI.…

The Sweetwater National Workplace Literacy Project was undertaken to develop the following: (1) industry/company-specific individualized literacy skills training for currently employed adults and (2) individualized, preemployment workplace literacy and job-specific skills training for unemployed or underemployed adults. The following site-specific…

This book, which is intended for practitioners and researchers engaged in education, presents a comprehensive account and analysis of the major initiatives and programs developed by the Asia and Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL), which was established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization to promote…

The potential of emotional interaction between human and computer has recently interested researchers in human-computer interaction. The instructional impact of this interaction in learning environments has not been established, however. This study examined the impact of emotion and gender of a pedagogical agent as a learning companion (PAL) on…

Objectives: The purpose of this investigation was to complete a formal evaluation of Reading Across My Pyramid (RAMP), a literacy promoting nutrition and health education curriculum. Methods: To meet this need, a short survey, the "Child Survey," based on topics covered in RAMP lessons was developed and tested for clarity in a group of…

This paper defines visual literacy, provides a synopsis of the current research on political awareness among today's youth, and shows how using political cartoons with children and adolescents will enhance their political cognition. It introduces the political cartoon, defining and describing what makes a political cartoon particularly effective…

JurisLIT was a literacy training effort operated jointly by the Sacramento County Probation Department, the Sacramento County Office of Education, the Los Rios Community College District, and the Superior and Municipal Courts of Sacramento County from March 1990 to March 1994. The program required selected probationers aged 18-30 to participate in…

A study investigated the effectiveness of the Writing Express program (similar to the "Writing to Read" program, but with the distinction that students write in their second-grade classrooms and follow thematic maps integrated into the regular classroom curriculum). All 895 second-grade students in six Writing Express schools and 6…

Data from recent international conferences and existing studies show that adult literacy research questions pursued by academicians and those pursued by practitioners are markedly different. Research concerns expressed by these two groups, in both developed and developing countries, are based on different assumptions regarding the nature,…

A practicum was designed to increase the expertise of primary teachers in the creation of developmentally appropriate reading/writing curriculum for the multi-age, multi-ability, primary classroom through literacy training staff development sessions. The system of literacy training was constructed over a period of eight months with 34 primary…