Combining the expansion of cultural literacy with the development of process-based writing, this book addresses each stage of the writing process, with emphasis on the recursive and overlapping nature of these stages. Numerous related model activities at the end of each chapter show how to develop the writing process, while expanding the writer's…

What makes some neighborhood organizations sanctuaries for inner-city youth is examined in this attempt to explain why some organizations are resources that enable youth to survive the harsh realities of everyday urban life in America. The first chapter contrasts the grim expectations for urban youth with the sense of the hopeful future expressed…

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the "Brown v Board of Education" decision, it is appropriate to review it as the spark for a new definition of equality in American life. The Brown case was the first significant step in the modern civil rights movement, and, as such, defined the structure and legal reasoning for the push by…

Reported are two separate but related longitudinal studies of two variables strongly associated with sex-related differences in mathematics achievement and enrollment, namely spatial visualization and confidence in learning mathematics. First, boys (N=33) and girls (N=36) in grades 6-8 who were discrepant in their spatial and verbal skills were…

Materials related to Hudson's Bay High School's (Vancouver, Washington) program to improve school effectiveness are presented. On the first page are enumerated six steps that were taken to implement the program, including the administration of an Effective Schools Evaluation Instrument asking faculty to identify needed improvements. Eight teams…

The first (exploratory) phase of the Learning in Science Project focused on science teaching/learning in the Form 1 to 4 level (ages 10 to 14) and sought to identify problems and difficulties in several areas. Provided in this paper are comments obtained during structured interviews (from students, ex-students, teachers, headmasters, science…

In an attempt to review and, if necessary, update the curriculum, a study investigated the prevalence of problem-solving and design approaches in the teaching of woodworking courses in secondary schools in Zimbabwe. Woodworking classes in forms one and three were studied in an urban secondary school where woodworking is taught up to form four and…

The perceptions of teachers about students' lack of success were studied, and the groundwork was laid for the future study of the effectiveness of a policy of warning students and parents of impending failure. The primary sources of data were teacher-coded reasons for failure, given on notices (progress reports) to secondary school students in the…

The perceptions teachers have of students were studied using data from a large study of children, parents, and teachers. Teachers completed individual assessment questionnaires on each of 540 participating children from kindergarten and grades 1 and 3 who lived in middle-income districts of the suburbs of a large midwestern city and who…

This yearbook contains the following 24 articles on a variety of topics: "A Model for Diagnostic Narratives in Teacher Education" (B. J. Walker); "Teacher Expectations: Modifying One's Teaching through the Self-Monitoring Process" (T. R. Blair and D. L. Jones); "Preparing Teacher/Researchers" (M. W. Olson and M. K.…

During the last five years, the Prince George's County (Maryland) public school system has brought about dramatic improvements in the academic achievement of at-risk students, offering strong evidence that public education can succeed for all children. This report describes how Prince George's County accomplished this turnaround through a process…

A set of 10 attitudinal items from the 1985 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) was administered to 131 fifth graders who had taken the Iowa Test of Basic Skills to determine the relationship between reading achievement and attitudes. Complete, appropriate data were available for 114 students. Teachers' responses to selected NAEP…

The combination of Afrocentric students in Eurocentric schools results in a conflict of cultures that places black students at risk. Although schools endorse societal beliefs concerning equal treatment and equality of educational opportunities, certain practices such as the hidden curriculum, tracking, and discriminatory discipline practices are…

An annotated bibliography of materials concerning the role of culture in foreign language learning focuses on the complexity and the importance of cultural awareness and on its integration into the foreign language curriculum. The first group of citations concerns the value of culture in the communication process and includes materials on…

A study investigated the possible relationship between college French teachers' cognitive style and their predictions of student performance. Four American-born French instructors and their 84 students at two state-supported universities formed the sample. The results suggest that the field-independent teachers may display more competence in…