Papers are presented which were generated by this workshop on school improvement. Both session and panel presentations are included on school effectiveness research, curriculum alignment for school improvement, a school climate improvement project, the McRel school improvement program, Pennsylvania's long-range planning for school improvement, an…

Case study analyses of nine mildly handicapped elementary students were conducted to identify factors related to gains in achievement and to higher active academic responding times (ART) in relation to different student-teacher ratios. Six learning disabled and three educable mentally retarded students (grades 3-5) were observed in special…

To alleviate problems with course content, procedure, and philosophy identified by basic communication skills students and faculty, the University of Oklahoma developed a computer assisted Student Assessment Center (SAC) as a basic communication course adjunct. The SAC allows students from all sections of the course to take each of the four unit…

Data from observations of 129 elementary, 362 junior, and 525 high school classes were analyzed to raise questions about classroom environment and classroom practices. Results gathered from four instruments are discussed: (1) physical environment inventory, which recorded classroom architectural arrangement, seating and grouping patterns,…

A review of the research on correspondence education with emphasis on its two-way communication aspects introduces this report on a series of studies designed to shed light upon problems related to the design and delivery of correspondence instruction. A total of 1,805 adult students enrolled in regular Swedish, Norwegian, and British…

Student library assistants and undergraduate and graduate students from agricultural and biological engineering, biological sciences, and entomology participated in a study to determine the effectiveness of instructional materials adapted to specific science disciplines for developing practical skills in the use of library resources. All students…

This six-section manual provides information for preparing appropriate classroom narratives and their accompanying student engagement ratings. The manual's introduction emphasizes the importance of an accurate classroom narrative, which is a detailed record of events, time use, and behavior in the classroom. Also discussed is the recording of…

This report is part of a paper set which focuses on a project designated as "Applying Research to Teacher Education (ARTE)." It reviews application possibilities of teacher effectiveness research in elementary classrooms to science teaching at the secondary level. Mills College (Oakland, California) was one of the sites involved in the…

This final report describes a 3-year project which investigated the relationship between academic learning time (ALT) and achievement in reading and mathematics of mildly handicapped students within the context of different special education delivery systems. Subjects were 24 educably mentally retarded, learning disabled, and emotionally disturbed…

Under consideration in this conference was the idea that prospective teachers should be assessed on the ability to perform teaching skills relative to each other and that overall patterns of skill performance, not separate skills, should be used as the organizing focus of teacher certification. James Raths, in "Teacher Traits Revisited:…

To assist the North Carolina League of Middle/Junior High Schools, this paper briefly surveys the literature on developmental characteristics of early adolescents and the characteristics of effective teachers and also discusses the implications of the findings for instruction and the curriculum. The authors first define early adolescence as the…

This study investigated differences occurring in student time utilization in three teachers' classes. In Class A, the teacher used a large group instructional mode; in Class B, the teacher used a small group instructional mode; and in Class C, the teacher used an individualized instructional mode. The subjects were 60 eighth grade students from a…

Investigated how students and teachers in mixed-age classes spent their learning time during reading, language arts, and mathematics. No significant differences between single- and multi-aged classes was found. Concludes that teachers found working in mixed-age classes very difficult, with most working as if they were teaching two different…

Examined were the effects of Team-Assisted Individualization (TAI) on the academic, behavioral, and social skills of 18 emotionally disturbed adjudicated boys, aged 13-15. TAI increased the students' on-task and cooperative behaviors, increased the students' liking of their classmates, and was preferred by students when compared to working…

Four junior high aged students (three behaviorally disordered and one learning disabled) received self-management training, without the external control of a token program. The self-evaluation procedures reduced students' off-task and disruptive behaviors in the resource room, but there was little or no spontaneous generalization to the students'…