A look at one adult literacy class in India indicated that, despite apparently ideal educational conditions, students remained almost illiterate. The author comments on the results and speculates on the reasons. (MF)

This paper describes implementation of a combined active training and consultation project with 64 school staff members in a large urban district. Participation was broadly associated with increased staff knowledge of effective behavior management and instructional strategies, successful implementation of skills at the classroom level with…

Middle-school social studies teachers (n=26) were observed to assess their use of reinforcement and corrections. Time-of-year effects showed a midyear deceleration of corrections, followed by an end-of-year increase. A midyear drop in reinforcement also was seen, with no year-end increase. Mainstreamed and low-ability students received greater…

The status quo in mathematics is not equitable, especially for female and minority students. Some criteria for an equitable mathematics program are given. (MNS)

An orientation and mobility (O&M) instructor presents a case study of a blind 14 year old with mild cognitive deficits and emotional and behavioral problems. The case study demonstrates the importance of individualizing the O&M curriculum, including changing the usual sequence of instruction. (DB)

Presents study results on the effects of students working in pairs on spelling in three different grades. Explains that students working individually were compared to students working in pairs. Reports less off-task behavior for the younger students working in pairs. Concludes that effort increases in pair work, but achievement increased only at…

Provides a lesson plan with student worksheet for teaching the concept of geologic time to middle school students. The lesson is cited as representative of an Earth systems approach to science curriculum with emphasis on the age of the earth and the fact that its subsystems are constantly evolving. (MCO)

A longitudinal study of academic achievement among 4,968 secondary students in Botswana found time in school to be the best predictor of achievement. Findings also suggest that supplementary reading materials, inservice training, and selected teaching practices may be boosting mean achievement and may help explain variation among pupils.…

Reports findings of a study that investigated fifth and sixth graders' attending and participating behaviors during mathematics. Some students, especially low achievers, manifested passivity in cooperative small groups. Some possible reasons for this behavior are suggested, and a categorization of types of passivity is provided. (Author/SM)

To teach culturally and linguistically diverse learners with language-learning disabilities, teachers should ensure that students understand assigned tasks, seat students from similar linguistic backgrounds together, start lessons with lead statements, use varied questioning strategies, ask for summaries, use multimodal approaches, and relate…

Improving student achievement hinges on adopting effective, research-based learning practices and activities. These include parent involvement, graded homework, direct teaching, aligned time on task, tutoring, cooperative learning, mastery learning, and teaching of learning strategies. Three high-achieving schools are profiled. (MLH)

Successful block scheduling depends on provision of initial and ongoing instructional training. Teaching strategies should vary and include cooperative learning, the case method, the socratic seminar, synectics, concept attainment, the inquiry method, and simulations. Recommendations for maximizing block scheduling are outlined. (Contains 52…

Since the world has been transformed through technology and global competition, children of the twenty-first century need much higher literacy and mathematical skills than their grandparents. Yet, at the same time, children need time to play and time to develop at a natural pace. In this article, the author shares and explains "triangulated…

The influence of social relationships, positive interdependence, and teacher structure on the quality of partner reading interactions was examined. Partner reading, a scripted cooperative learning strategy, is often used in classrooms to promote the development of fluent and automatic reading skills. Forty-three pairs of second grade children were…

In this study, 172 elementary teachers were surveyed to determine the state of social studies teaching in their classrooms. Data was collected during the spring of 2004 in various geographic locations within an urban district in southern California. The survey measured teachers' time teaching core subjects, how teachers chose to spend their time…