Describes the Cultural Flags program, which teaches students to be proactive in engaging in cultural learning through learning a few basic phrases in the five most spoken languages in their community along with cultural facts about other countries. Some program evaluation results and project guidelines are presented. (SLD)

Examined the effects of a 4-week interdisciplinary unit on middle school students' problem-solving ability. Subjects, 459 students in 4 Midwestern school districts, were taught by 6 teams of teachers. Pre- and posttest results indicated that students identified as formal operational thinkers made significant gains in their problem-solving ability,…

This article examines research evidence on the effects of preschool reading practices on young children, emphasizing the role of school-based programs for young disadvantaged children. The analysis notes positive effects from story reading programs and presents practical guidelines related to group size, rereadings, vocabulary instruction, and…

Character education often uses exhortations and extrinsic inducements to make children behave and work harder. Extrinsic rewards and awards erode intrinsically motivated behavior. Programs should answer five basic questions, avoid indoctrination, and provide students with opportunities to construct meaning around moral concepts and to change…

The QUILT (Questioning and Understanding to Improve Learning and Thinking) program tested the hypothesis that well-designed staff development would positively affect teachers and students. QUILT increased and sustained teacher use of classroom questioning techniques to produce higher levels of student learning and thinking. QUILT participants…

Reviews the results of a 1991 U.S. Department of Education report entitled "A Descriptive Study of Significant Features of Exemplary Special Alternative Instructional Programs." The features of nine exemplary special alternative instructional programs are described that appeared to contribute to positive outcomes for students from diverse…

Reports on a study of efforts by 76 college economics departments to assess faculty teaching effectiveness. Discusses four assessment methods: (1) classroom visits; (2) teaching materials; (3) formal follow-up; and (4) informal soundings. Concludes that many feel uncomfortable with the evaluation process. (CFR)

Fourteen female teachers participating in Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools' Students Achieving Independent Learning Program, which promotes strategies-based instruction to enhance reading comprehension of elementary school students, were interviewed about program effects. Teachers identified both strong points and shortcomings of the…

Four articles are included: (1) a study that identified barriers to effective extension programing for at-risk youth; (2) Project LEAD, which is designed to prevent delinquency by positively affecting attitudes of youth at risk; (3) Illinois extension's approach to drug education; and (4) Ohio's Tobacco Risk Awareness Program. (JOW)

Discusses collaborative or cooperative learning and its use in school and academic libraries to improve the effectiveness of bibliographic instruction. A study in which the pairing of undergraduate education students was used to teach information retrieval using the ERIC database on CD-ROM is described. (13 references) (EA)

A study investigated the use of dialog journals as a tool for promoting the learning of 13 prospective teaches in a multicultural teacher education course. How the dialog journals promoted reflection among the prospective teachers and helped the instructor adapt instruction to better meet students' needs is explained. (Author/CR)

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…

This article reviews the current policy context in the state of Arizona for program options for English language learners and produces a meta-analysis of studies on the effectiveness of bilingual education that have been conducted in the state in or after 1985. The study presents an analysis of a sample of evaluation studies (N = 4), which…

In this chapter, the authors review three distinct theoretical discourses--educational measurement, hermeneutics, and sociocultural studies--to support the development of validity theory for the routine use of assessment by professionals working in complex, dynamic, and always partially unique educational environments. They review validity…

This study presents the results of qualitative interviews of teachers who completed the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification process. Teachers (N=25) were asked a series of questions about how the NBPTS process impacted their teaching. The findings revealed that the themes of reflection, assessment, and…