Depression in urban Hispanic adolescents can have negative influences on their ability to acquire a sound education. This study was conducted on 191 urban Hispanic adolescents ages 13-18. The findings indicated that (a) Hispanic females were more depressed than Hispanic males, (b) 42% of the participants had been retained a grade, (c) 7% had…

Recognizing that primary education needed to be changed in order to make it research-based and developmentally appropriate, a group of teachers in Wyoming developed a multi-age, team-taught class, called the Primary Education Program. The first year's class included 3 teachers and 60 students in kindergarten through first grade, and the second…

The Optional Extended Year (OEY) program was initiated in Texas in 1995 and first implemented in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) in 1996. The primary focus of the OEY programs is to reduce student retention in grade through four school day options: (1) extended day; (2) extended week; (3) intersessions for year-round schools; and (4)…

This report provides data on the status of the 1985 promotion policy established in the School District of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), and highlights the policy's impact on students as of June 1991. The total citywide enrollments were 105,542 in 1988 and 114,092 in 1991. At the end of the 1987-88 school year, the promotions standards of the…

This report summarizes an evaluation of a staff development program to reduce disparity in educational achievement across race and sex. The Teacher Expectations and Student Achievement (TESA) program of S. Kerman, T. Kimball, and M. Martin (1980) was implemented in an elementary school. Achievement test scores, attitudes toward school and self,…

This document examines changes in Latin American economies and educational systems during the 1980s and the responses of the Latin American democracies. Following a description of changes in Latin American public expenditures in the 1980s and subsequent adjustments in education expenditures, the dynamics of the adjustment in Costa Rica and…

Findings of a recent Oregon Department of Education survey of elementary school principals are reported. In fall, 1988, questionnaires were mailed to 789 elementary school principals in the state. A total of 694 responded. The survey was designed to provide insight into important trends in kindergarten and first grade. The following topics were…

This is a report of a statewide study of kindergarten practices in North Carolina in 1988 which involved classroom observations (N=103 randomly selected classrooms) and questionnaires returned by 218 elementary school principals (an 86% response) and by 375 kindergarten teachers (an 81% response). Several questions were addressed by the study. (1)…

Materials from a symposium on teaching practices and reading problems are provided in this report. Following a description of the meeting and a copy of the agenda, the report presents seven symposium papers that discuss the following topics: (1) teacher preparation in reading, (2) reading and the deaf child, (3) teaching reading in social studies,…

This paper focuses on the nature and effectiveness of elementary transition classes (TCs) used by the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) as an alternative to retention to improve low achievers' achievement. Data were examined concerning the number and nature of TCs operating in the AISD during 1987-88; achievement progress of…

This report from the Consortium for Longitudinal Studies summarizes findings of current analyses of the educational outcomes of low-income, primarily black children who did or did not participate in experimental early education programs in the 1960s. Data from 11 research projects provided information on approximately 3,000 low-income children.…

This study examined language development as a precursor of maladaptive behavior in inner-city early adolescents. Participating were 256 adolescents from the graduation classes of 2000 and 2001 who had previously attended District of Columbia prekindergarten/Head Start and kindergarten. The sample was 98 percent African American and 56 percent…

This longitudinal study compared academic performance of Head Start and public school prekindergarten graduates at four educational transitions: (1) kindergarten; (2) first grade; (3) third grade; and (4) fourth and sixth grades. Participating in this study were students in an urban, minority school system providing both Head Start and…

Report on research from 18 states that concludes that high-stakes tests do not lead to higher student achievement. In addition, such tests can decrease student motivation to learn and lead to higher student retention and dropout rates. (Contains 2 figures and 21 references.) (WFA)

Discusses the philosophy behind the effects of placing at-risk kindergarten children in transitional first grade classes and suggests alternative practices. (BB)