This annotated bibliography provides some of the best resources available to help practitioners create high-achieving learning environments where all children have the opportunity for success. The bibliography is based on the six principles according to which resources are grouped: (1) school policies and practices demonstrate respect for and…

This study surveyed 133 counselors-in-training (graduate students) on their perceptions of African American/Black, Hispanic, and White males and females in a teen pregnancy situation depicted in videotaped dramatizations. Overall, females were perceived as more likeable than were males. Respondents were less likely to encourage the Hispanic male…

The DATAWave is a weekly publication of the Assessment Resource Office of Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU). Its purpose is to inform the campus community and broader constituencies about assessment issues and practice at ENMU. The issues of this first volume cover the following assessment topics: (1) introduction to the newsletter and report…

Educational policy trends have contributed to rising rates of student grade retention over the past two decades. This research bulletin looks at the evidence about whether and how grade retention may influence the chances that a student would drop out of school. In 1992, evidence indicates that about 20% of 14-year-olds may have experienced a…

In plain language, these six ready-to-copy briefs state what researchers and practitioners have learned about various ways parents can help their children do well in school. "Calculating the Risks: When Should Parents Add or Subtract?" discusses the normal risks of life, the intensification of risk by poverty, and how parents can keep…

This report details results of the 1995-96 study of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) Preschool Programs, the fifth such evaluation of the state-mandated preschool programs of at-risk 4-year-old children and 3- and 4-year-olds with disabilities. Following an executive summary and explanation of the methodology for the evaluation, this…

In response to parent complaints about the curriculum at an urban child care center, a procedure was developed to provide parents and teachers with an understanding of developmentally appropriate practices for young children. A curriculum that was developmentally and culturally relevant to the children at the school was also developed. The entire…

This study examined 50 kindergarten teachers' perceptions of the success of students who were labeled "developmentally delayed," and of students who had not been so labeled. The term "developmentally delayed" is used to identify young children in need of early intervention. Teachers' perceptions about the teaching skills they…

This study examined the role of public preschool teachers in the construction of classroom literacy environments. Using qualitative methods for data collection and analysis, the research was intended to generate knowledge of teacher thinking and decision making for social and cultural phenomena taking place in a classroom. The study included ten…

This paper presents a set of general observations about state-sponsored school improvement initiatives with data from several sources. One major source is the Research for Better Schools, Inc., Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), implementation study, "Facing the Challenge: Selected Programs and Practices of the Urban Initiative's Operation School…

The issue of low teacher expectations of students is addressed, bearing in mind that any effort to address low teacher expectations for students that does not address the broader issue of school change will fail. The first section of the monograph explores the relationship between teacher expectations and student achievement. The second section…

The retention of ethnic minorities is a major problem in American colleges and universities. This study deals with the factors that affect adjustment to college and, in particular, to achievement of "bicultural efficacy" for this group. Bicultural efficacy is defined as an individual's expectations that he or she can (or cannot) manage the stress…

Recent research suggests that special programs designed to "fix" low-achieving students are based on a deficiency model that does not serve their clients' needs. Alternative schools are providing conditions necessary to address disenfranchised students' problems. The descriptive case study summarized here was conducted to determine the…

This paper presents an overview of the research and literature on teaching/learning styles and teacher expectations. It also provides a rationale for linking teaching/learning styles with teacher expectations and establishes the basis for the pedagogy of Turning Point. Turning Point is a teacher training program that allows teachers to recognize…

This guide presents questions that parents frequently ask about their children's school, along with answers to those questions. The questions and answers were prepared based on the results of studies conducted by the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, the U.S. Department of Education, the GTE Foundation, and by the National Center…