This study (stage two of a proposed four-part study) employed qualitative methods and descriptive statistics to examine child mental retardation from the perspective of the family. Ninety-five mothers of children with mental retardation were surveyed using an 80-item questionnaire and 3 open-ended questions which provided mothers an opportunity to…

This longitudinal research study summarizes how inner-city children's development and achievement are affected by preschool attendance, varying educational models, parent involvement, and identified risk-factors. The study of Washington, DC schools began with 3 cohorts of 4-year-olds enrolled in 3 different preschool models: child initiated,…

The experience of homelessness places great stress on families. Homeless parents in a shelter deal with various stressors in addition to homelessness, causing difficulties in dealing with their children and in developing parenting skills. This report describes a program designed for homeless parents of preschool children temporarily living in a…

Ideas from education, linguistics, and typography are combined in a discussion of the selection, use, and production of instructional materials for students in a multilingual school context. Application of materials to development of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills is examined. An introductory chapter looks at the perspectives of…

Based on the experiences of teachers, principals, and parents involved in the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), this book is a collection of accounts and reflections by teachers or administrators who have engaged in developing and implementing nongraded primary education programs. The articles in this book are: (1) "Reforming the…

In light of concerns that previous staff development projects did not truly capture life in the classroom, and that there may be a gap between one's previous elementary and current university teaching experiences, a teacher educator used a semester sabbatical to shadow six first-grade teachers in order to inform thinking and practice in teaching…

Although more than 52 percent of the current college and university student body is comprised of women, institutional leadership is still dominated by males. This digest summarizes the issue from an institutional context and identifies factors that contribute to the gap. It suggests that the organizational and societal concepts of leadership be…

The Longitudinal Student Success Study was a six-year study to identify factors associated with to student success at a large Eastern community college. The study focused on American Black students as one group of students likely to have different background characteristics and preparedness levels than what generally facilitates success at a…

This study examined elements of the climate of middle-grades schools that are associated with schools' effectiveness in terms of the engagement and achievement of their students, with special emphasis on gender equity. Drawn from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988, data on 9,020 eighth graders from 377 middle-grades schools were…

The majority of current succession planning practices reflect the viewpoint of only a linear career direction for ambitious people. They are based on the premise that competent people have and want only one career direction--an upwardly mobile one. In today's work force, however, a "bottom-up" process works better in succession planning. This…

Conference papers on second language classrooms and culture are presented, including: "Intercultural Communication as Interpersonal Communication" (Kensaku Yoshida); "Classroom Cultures: East Meets West" (Dominic Cogan); "Laying Down the Law: Teachers' Use of Rules" (Gregory Bornmann); "Student Behavior: Whose…

This book relates the experiences of Abbie Morgan, who with her husband Ed, moved to the Alaskan village of Kulukak in 1931. Abbie accepted an assignment from the United States government to be the village teacher while her husband was appointed to provide health care for the village population and monitor the area's reindeer herd. The village of…

It is proposed that English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) instruction can go beyond learning driven by structures and tests and address universal human needs through an orientation toward meaning and discussion. Application of the concepts of the Whole Language Approach to EFL instruction is explored, drawing on experience with junior college…

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care is an ongoing, prospective, 3-year longitudinal study of over 1,300 full-term healthy infants and families from 10 sites across the United States. While the sample is not nationally representative, the subjects come from major regions of the country: the…

This report examines information about the health status of migrant farmworkers, including specific issues related to migrant health services in Michigan. Despite the high rate of families with two wage earners, one-half of migrant farmworker families have incomes below the poverty level. Poverty is associated with poor nutrition and sanitation,…