This bulletin examines some questions that arise when children are not ready for promotion: Should they be retained? Who decides? Are there alternatives to retention? What is the effect of retention on the student? Despite research limitations, those who examine the studies on grade repetition say they show that grade retention does not have a…

This study examined the factors contributing to the early school adjustment of children at risk of school failure from preschool enrollment to fourth grade. A longitudinal model that used data on 1,255 low-income, minority children was tested in an effort to bring about an improved understanding of the factors that influence a wide range of early…

This information packet contains nine articles that outline current trends in kindergarten retention/exclusion and their negative impact on student outcomes, particularly for high risk students. The 1980s saw increasing numbers of children required to repeat kindergarten, attend a transitional grade before first grade, or wait an extra year before…

This publication contains self-esteem exercises and a learning disabilities (LD) curriculum for students with LD in adult basic education programs. The 37 student exercises are designed to build the self-esteem of students with LD. They include self-evaluations, profiles, and checklists. Topics covered are success, decision making, problem…

A synthesis of current research, theory, and professional opinion on how children learn to write, this report begins with a brief introduction followed by a discussion of writing readiness that suggests children's eagerness to learn to write. The third chapter examines children's use of writing to extend the functions of speech, drawing, and play,…

This curriculum guide for kindergarten through grade four divides language arts into eight subject areas. Each subject area is covered in a separate section; however, the focus of the guide is on providing an integrated curriculum. The following are included in most or all of the sections: introduction, goals/objectives, evaluation, and…

Concerned about the quality of its mathematics and language programs, an elementary school district worked with a college committed to in-school research to create an instructional leadership training program for district principals and teachers. Completing onehalf of its 4-year-project, the Basic Skills Program devoted its first year to writing…

The main aim of this study was to determine the opinions of the undergraduate students and faculty members on factors that affect student learning and academic achievement. The sub aims of this study were to: (1) Develop a mean rank ordering of the 23 dimensions affecting learning, for both the students and faculty, and determine the similarities…

The handbook reviews approximately 150 educational tests and their uses within the total process of educational assessment for students who have academic difficulty because of mental retardation; learning disabilities; physical handicaps; emotional, sensory, and social disorders; other health impairments; and related problems. Introductory…

This second issue of an annotated listing of educational software suitable for use with adult basic education (ABE) students was compiled through reviews of software by ABE teachers and their students for its effectiveness and appropriateness to adult literacy instruction. The featured programs include drill and practice, simulations, educational…

This paper describes the second year of the Success for All program, which tries to assure that each student in an inner-city school succeeds in acquiring basic skills in the early grades. The program was first implemented in the 1987-88 school year in Abbottson Elementary School in Baltimore. First year results revealed substantially higher…

This study investigated former students' perceptions of their past studies at the University of Kansas' Applied English Center (AEC). Sixty-one former AEC full-time students who had proven English proficiency since 1983 were interviewed using a questionnaire with 25 open-ended questions. The interviews focused on general program satisfaction,…

This study examined a state-of-the-art computer-based integrated learning system to determine its conformance to research findings on effective learning practices; to describe its implementation in an elementary school setting; and to assess changes in students' achievement in either mathematics or reading. Pretest/posttest data were supplemented…

Designed for use by technical and vocational education teachers, this monograph describes techniques for combining writing across the curriculum strategies with reading and study skills approaches. The teaching and classroom techniques presented were developed as part of the Writing and Reading in the Technologies (WRIT) project undertaken by a…

Whether teachers, in the absence of standardized test scores, can adequately identify students who require remedial services or are at risk of failing a literacy test was studied. During the 1987-88 school year 22 fourth-grade teachers were asked to identify which of 530 students of various ethnic backgrounds would score in the top or bottom…