This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 56 titles deal with a variety of topics concerning the relationship of reading achievement to many variables such as memory, listening comprehension, intelligence, self-concept, classroom behavior, reading attitude, home…

Research on ethnic minority participation in community college education is reviewed in eight sections. The first delineates the distinguishing features of the modern community college, such as its emphasis on occupational education, its diversity of programs, and the prevalence of non-traditional course-taking patterns. The second section…

A study was conducted to determine the optimum combination of selected social, academic, and demographic variables to maximally differentiate membership in the successful, unsuccessful, and withdrawal groups of first-year computer programming majors in Virginia community colleges. A questionnaire focusing on 18 selected variables was administered…

An evaluation of William Glasser's Schools Without Failure (SWF) program was carried out during the program's first year of operation in the New Castle, Pa. School District. Ten elementary schools were paired on the basis of size, socioeconomic status, and pupils' past achievement. One school of each pair was randomly assigned to begin teacher…

A study followed freshman students entering Indiana University in 1971, 1973, and 1974 to establish the rate and variables related to dropping out of the university. Students were labeled academic drops if they were achieving below a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) at the time of withdrawal, and nonacademic drops if not below 2.0. Students entering…

Active between 1993 and 1996, the Promoting Academic Student Success (PASS) Program was aimed at reducing the high percentage of failure experienced by academic probation students at Corning Community College (New York). These students typically came from non supportive environments, possessed academic deficiencies, and suffered from feelings of…

This report presents a collection of papers that focuses on a coordinated approach to raising the socioeconomic status of Hispanic Americans living in California. After presenting "The Need for a Coordinated Approach," the papers are: "Preschool Access" (Theresa Garcia, Sandra Gutierrez, and Giovanna Stark); "K-12…

This report summarizes activities in the AISD state-funded Optional Extended Year program for the 2003-2004 school year.

Reviews research about child development, curiosity, questioning, boredom, and social class differences, and the relationships between attitudes and capacities of the learners and the content and complexities of the materials. (See TM 504 595 for availability). (Author/CTM)

Reflects on reasons why the New Social Studies movement failed. Analyzes five developments to account for its failure. Discusses the author's establishment of Carnegie Mellon University's (CMU) Teaching Center. Explains how lessons from earlier attempts at educational reform have been applied at CMU. Reviews the New Social Studies movement's…

This study addressed four questions which parents of children with selective mutism (SM) frequently ask: (1) Is SM associated with anxiety or oppositional behavior? (2) Is SM associated with parenting and family dysfunction? (3) Will my child fail at school? and (4) Will my child make friends or be teased and bullied? In comparison to a sample of…

Extending over a 14-week period, this study examined the effects of a program designed to enhance the self-esteem of at-risk students by developing an internal locus of control in the students. The program consisted of six major components: (1) a specified vocabulary and format; (2) goal identification and description by students; (3) student…

Among the behavior management challenges in schools today is the question of how to deal with substance abuse among youth. Facts about student alcohol and drug use are provided in this handbook. Watching for school and home related behavioral indicators of drug use is an immediate concern for schools. Drug use follows a six-stage continuum: no…

The first in a series of five regional fact-gathering committee hearings, this hearing report includes testimony from private and public social agencies in New York, New Jersey, Maine, Massachussetts, and Connecticut. Information and statistics are presented on a wide variety of social problems, including (1) family violence; (2) family planning…

In its first year under Title VII funding, Project BRIDGES (Bilingual Resource Instruction for the Development of Gainful Employment Skills) provided instructional and support services to 346 limited-English-speaking students in three Brooklyn (New York) high schools (South Shore, Sheepshead Bay, Franklin D. Roosevelt). The project's aim was to…