In the spring of 1991, officials from Lamar High School in Houston (Texas) requested a study of their tracking system and its relation to student achievement. This paper reports the results of the evaluation. Many of the courses at Lamar High School are associated with four instructional levels: (1) remedial; (2) regular; (3) college bound; and…

The National Council of La Raza launched Project Excellence in Community Educational Leadership (EXCEL), in 1985 to contribute experiences and input from the community level to the school reform process and to address some of the short-term needs of the students currently enrolled. Project EXCEL, which is designed to help Hispanic American…

A project provided family literacy services in Lewistown, Pennsylvania. The "Together We Learn" project had four objectives: (1) promoting family literacy by using the Project PACT (Parents and Children Together) model in two 10-week sessions; (2) improving parents' basic skills so they can work better with their children; (3) assisting…

This Vocational Instructional Management System (VIMS) module offers instructional and cognitive strategies used by special needs students to gain academic and vocational competency in business and office technology. Nine definitions, 14 frequently asked questions, 3 resources, and 18 references are included. The following questions are answered:…

This practicum, designed to improve positive experiences of at-risk preschoolers, involved the coaching of parents in regard to their interactions with their preschoolers. The goal of the practicum was to provide parents with tools that would help them enrich the home environment of their preschool children. Parents of preschoolers in Chapter 1…

This study investigated the school adjustment of 1,300 low-income, minority children in the Chicago Public Schools. Chidren's progress from preschool to fourth grade was traced. Data were collected from teachers, parents, children, and computerized records. The study primarily examined mediated effects of preschool; influences on cognitive growth…

Basic skills instruction can be tied to work performed on the job by conducting a Workplace Educational Skills Analysis (WESA). WESA is a systematic process used by the Wisconsin Workplace Partnership Training Program to identify and analyze the basic educational skills required on the job. Basic skills are identified in seven areas: (1)…

This handbook provides guidelines and practical ideas for community volunteer teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) as they prepare to teach. It addresses common classroom issues and offers instructional approaches and techniques based on established principles of language learning. Chapter topics include the following: cross-cultural…

Available information, largely for selected years in the 1970s through 1990, on academic performance at the highest levels of achievement is summarized for elementary through graduate school levels. Profiles of students who performed well on particular measures of academic achievement or attained advanced degrees are provided. Data were obtained…

This publication describes basic skills improvement programs and activities ongoing throughout the United States. The guide is organized into two sections. The first section contains program descriptions and hands-on materials from 25 elementary and secondary programs across the nation that have been selected for inclusion in the National…

The 1933-42 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) continues to generate interest, indicated by efforts to create a new national program and by successful state programs in California and Ohio. The CCC initially inducted unemployed, unmarried men, aged 18-25, later inducted older men and Native Americans. CCC requirements included vocational education…

Although school desegregation was initiated to address a social inequity--segregated schooling was seen as stigmatizing blacks as a social group--research has focused primarily on desegregation's effects on black academic achievement and self-esteem. Two problems have made this research difficult: the ambiguity of the term "school desegregation"…

The knowledge and skills needed by college entrants are described in depth. Attention is directed to six basic academic competencies that are general skills necessary for effective work in all subjects, along with six basic academic subjects on which college-level study is based. The following basic academic competencies are outlined: reading,…

Results of the seventh year of testing by the Pupil Assessment Program of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction are presented. In 1982, objective-referenced tests in science, mathematics, and geometry were given to a sample of Wisconsin's public school students in grades 4, 8, 11, and 12. Students were also given the Comprehensive Tests…

This journal includes current information for English teachers (new publications, resource materials, textbooks, tests, and trends) and these articles: "Reliability in the Oral Bagrut Test" (Raphael Gefen); "A Methodological Approach to 'Rewrite Sentence' Drills" (Eliyahu Galore); "Translation as a Bagrut Subject"…