Noting that American elementary schools over the years have emphasized reading to the detriment of writing, a study examined the efficacy of a writing program that places the student and the teacher in direct contact with the writing process by (1) requiring daily student writing and suggesting the teacher frequently write with the students, (2)…

When mildly-disabled high school students (9 learning-disabled, 2 educable mentally retarded, and 1 emotionally handicapped) were taught techniques to self-monitor and record on-task performance with audible cues and later independently, a functional relationship was observed between the intervention and increased on-task behavior, wherein changes…

A brief inservice program followed by supervisory prompts and feedback provided to 39 education staff in 21 classrooms serving 152 severely handicapped students was consistently accompanied by increased student involvement in functional educational tasks. Improved services continued throughout a two-year follow-up period. (Author/JW)

Outlined are behavior management strategies for emotionally disturbed students who are partially mainstreamed. Appropriate behavior outside the classroom earns the child stamps. Inappropriate behavior inside the classroom results in warnings, penalty points, and time-out. On-task behavior is also rewarded with stamps, which may be accumulated for…

Naturalistic observation techniques were used with 24 9- to 12-year-old learning disabled students to investigate two sets of variables that might influence achievement differences between computer-assisted instruction and seatwork: engagement rate and interactions with teachers and peers. Implications for research and microcomputer implementation…

Examines the engaged rates of children in kindergarten to fourth grade for differences and makes some assessment of attention span as it relates to engaged rate and achievement. (HOD)

To probe the association of reading achievement with factors in learning, the scores of 2,890 13-year-old students from a National Assessment of Educational Progress sample were regressed on 24 indexes of the factors, singly and as a set. Achievement showed diminishing or eventually negative returns to eight time variables. (Author/BS)

Research on teacher effectiveness has provided substantial evidence that certain teaching behaviors are more likely than others to promote student achievement. Described is an instructional design model that can help teachers plan for more effective teaching. Two sample social studies lessons based on the model are presented. (RM)

Describes the characteristics of effective reading programs and presents implications for the improvement of reading instruction. (HOD)

Presents information gained from a time-on-task study of one school district that suggests that school districts can improve their decisions about scheduling, instructional techniques, and student achievement through similar investigations. (FL)

After noting classroom techniques that made a difference in student learning, the authors focus on reducing the distractions of a school environment and providing principals a classroom observation instrument. They suggest a student observation form to be used by principals, analyzing six student behavior categories. (JW)

Classroom observation of 98 fourth-grade boys was coded to examine the relationships among student behaviors exhibited during class instruction, teacher reinforcement of those behaviors, student ability, and achievement. The strongest causal effects were from student ability measures. Accurate responding by students and teacher reinforcement of…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that explored the feasibility of using vision therapy (VT) as part of an interdisciplinary approach to the education of children with autism. Traditional research on VT has explored its usefulness in helping patients to use both eyes together, improve depth perception, and enhance visual acuity.…

This research brief highlights findings from a qualitative study of the contextual factors that shape engagement in adult literacy education. Engagement is mental effort focused on learning and is a precondition to learning progress. Some researchers focus on engagement as a cognitive, or mental, process closely related to such things as…

The differences in off-task behavior rates exhibited by kindergarten students during narrative and non-narrative-based social studies instruction was investigated. Off-task behavior was operationally defined and students were observed during eight different lessons. Four lessons employed story narrative picture books and four lessons used…