Responds to an article by S. Alan Cohen on oral language deficiency and its relation to reading failure, and concludes that reading achievement and reading failure are largely determined by cognitive and communicative strategies that may be socialized differently in diverse social and ethnic groups. (JM)

A procedural model, designed to assist practitioners in working with students with learning problems, targets three stages of the diagnostic-prescriptive teaching process: (1) defining the problem; (2) assessing potentially causal mismatches between child, task, and setting; and (3) intervening by eliminating or minimizing mismatches. (Author/CB)

Discusses the relationship between English language proficiency and academic success of English as a second language (ESL) students in universities and colleges where English is the language of instruction. The study points out difficulties associated with determining this relationship and makes suggestions for establishing guidelines to determine…

A list is presented of 70 typical academic problems of learning-disabled children that special educators must be able to diagnose and remedy. The problems are categorized as follows: reading, language, spelling, handwriting, arithmetic, thinking, and school task and behavior problems. (JDD)

Explanations for the low school performance of minority children are critiqued. When these explanations are considered in light of social theory, it can be seen how the legitimacy of schools and teachers are factors in school success. A new, more culturally responsive pedagogy is necessary. (VM)

The failure of a geography instruction project in Jamaica suggests the following recommendations to educators considering similar strategies: (1) arrange time off for teacher participants; (2) offer tangible rewards; (3) select suitable teachers who are committed to their subject; (4) offer training in group interaction skills; and (5) limit…

The Ohio County schools in Wheeling, West Virginia are identifying high-risk kindergarten children and enrolling them in an all-day kindergarten program. A pilot study showed that the additional instructional time can help these children overcome patterns of failure. (TE).

Current demands for educational excellence will probably help better students get better; may help average students, who struggle, to enhance achievement; but may create more dropouts among poor students. Students with low grade point averages benefit little from exposure to tougher courses and suffer from loss of vocational and general education…

Academic failure goes hand in hand with juvenile crime. In searching for a solution to the problem, however, one must not look only to the courts. Author states that a team effort on the part of parents, schools, social agencies, and the courts is necessary--with society as a whole accepting ultimate responsibility. (Editor/RK)

High Stakes brings the voices of students and teachers to national debates over school accountability and educational reform. Recounting the experiences of two classrooms during one academic year, the book offers a critical exploration of excessive state-mandated monitoring, high-stakes testing pressures, and inequities in public school funding…

Articles in this volume focus on the following: specialized research; methodological challenges; establishment of a categorization system for sociometric analysis and its application in the multicultural classroom; a case study of factors to prevent school failure in children at risk; the KeyMatch-R scale (study of a curriculum-related diagnostic…

Prerequisite courses are essential tools in many university curricula, but some educators have suggested that they may be detrimental if applied too stringently to exclude students from courses. A measure of the value of prerequisites is whether or not they promote student success. The strongest way to test the value of prerequisites is to compare…

Educators and policymakers find themselves confronted with how to address the issue of children "pre-disposed to failure." This paper contends that teachers and politicians are linked in a chain of responsibility that forces them to construct a common discourse through which they may share their views, and with which they may…

This guide presents the Department of Education's strategy for ending social promotion in public schools. It opens with a description of social promotion and the pervasiveness and the consequences of this practice. The volume outlines the high standards that all students should be held to and emphasizes the importance of creating reliable measures…

This packet of material contains a collection of strategies designed to prevent school failure and antisocial behavior. The collection includes: (1) "Why Are We Surprised?", which discusses the poor learning outcomes and troubling behaviors of some students with disabilities; (2) "Paying Now or Later," which addresses the cost…