The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) represents a commitment by OECD member countries to monitor the outcomes of educational systems in terms of student achievement within a common international framework. This publication presents the guiding principles of…

This paper identifies five types of learning experiences which are relevant to understanding students' grasp of concepts and principles. These include exploring existing concepts, honing and clustering concepts, developing analytical and reasoning skills, developing problem solving skills, and structuring knowledge in memory. Each of these…

This document presents a sample of the Arkansas science curriculum and identifies the content standards for physical science systems, life science systems, and Earth science/space science systems for seventh grade students. Each content standard is explained and includes student learning expectations, seventh grade benchmarks, assessments, and…

This document presents a sample of the Arkansas science curriculum and identifies the content standards for physical science systems, life science systems, and Earth science/space science systems for eighth grade students. Each content standard is explained and includes student learning expectations, eighth grade benchmarks, assessments, and…

This document features the experiences of three science teachers who video and audiotaped classroom proceedings in order to go back over what was said in classroom events, to explore the intentions and ideas that were perhaps not fully understood at the time. Mary DiSchino, who teaches 3rd and 4th graders, teaches a science curriculum which she…

This digest describes an integrated approach to teaching computer skills in K-12 schools. The introductory section discusses the importance of integrating information skills into the curriculum. "Technology Skills for Information Problem Solving: A Curriculum Based on the Big6 Skills Approach" (Michael B. Eisenberg, Doug Johnson, and…

The report describes a program to improve students social skills and level of responsibility. The targeted eighth and ninth grade students are located in two communities in northwestern Illinois. The problem of students exhibiting a lack of social skills and responsibility had been documented by student discipline referrals, anecdotal records,…

Recognizing that violent behavior is a complex phenomenon that is manifested in many different ways, the focus of this paper is to inform the development and implementation of school-based violence prevention strategies. The Second Step Program of the Jefferson County Public Schools is highlighted as an example of a successful violence prevention…

The North Carolina Standard Course of Study aims to guarantee that all students have equal access to education. This revised North Carolina Standard Course of Study for English Language Arts is intended as a flexible guide to instruction, emphasizing what students should know and be able to do as they progress through various levels of…

This report describes a program for improving students' comprehension of the language of mathematical problems. The targeted population consists of 5th and 6th grade multi-age students and multi-age learners with special needs at a middle school located outside a major city in a Midwestern community. Evidence for the existence of this problem…

Aimed at parents of early adolescents, this book helps parents provide the skills teens need to cope with life's everyday frustrations and to make informed decisions about problems such as the stresses of homework, friendship, contending with peer pressure, and dealing with bullies. The foundation of the book is the "I Can Problem Solve" (ICPS)…

This study examines the mentoring practices of a mentor teacher who was actively engaged in creating an inquiry-focused, year-long internship, noting the intern-mentor dyad's negotiation of a successful learning context as perceived by the intern, the mentor, and a university faculty member. Data collection involved both ethnographic and…

The collection of narratives by eight bilingual education teachers addresses what the teachers experience and how they make sense of bilingual teaching, including successful teaching strategies, and is intended to encourage other bilingual education teachers to find their own solutions to instructional problems. An introductory section explains…

Prevention is the ultimate key to reversing the upward trend in the use of drugs and to empowering communities to address their drug problems. An essential factor is the development and implementation of initiatives to prevent illicit drug use. A goal of prevention for youth is to provide them with a set of skills and tools to help them resist the…

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of 6 factors that affect college students' self-rating of change in problem solving and critical thinking abilities after 4 years of college. Based on the available literature, these six factors were selected for investigation: (1) Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores; (2) a socioeconomic…