This report describes a research effort and some preliminary findings on effective school practices as they apply to the Portland (Oregon) Public Schools' Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) Chapter 1 program, which is a supplementary basic skills instructional program for low-achieving students. Nearly 60 hours of unsystematic…

A survey instrument was developed to obtain baseline data about early childhood education (ECE) programs within the public and nonpublic schools of Illinois. Information gathered concerned (1) perceptions of elementary school officials about the relative demand for and supply of ECE programs and services; (2) numbers and kinds of ECE programs and…

Variability of attention to task and its relation to instructional contexts for learning disabled (LD) children was investigated. Subjects were 24 mainstreamed elementary grade LD children. The children's behaviors relating to academic engagement and the situational contexts in which they occurred were observed and coded in both the regular class…

The following papers are included: "Seminar's Focus on Practice Puts Action on the Human Level" (Margaret Gayfer); "Literacy: What Do Definitions Tell Us?" (Carman Hunter); "The Practice of Literacy in the Netherlands" (Ella Bohnenn); "The Approach of Popular Literacy Groups in Quebec" (Louise Miller); "Perspectives and Lessons from the Adult…

This book proposes that, by becoming special, Great Britain's ordinary schools can move closer to meeting the individual needs of all children. It outlines the practical steps that need to be taken if ordinary schools are to meet the special educational needs of children. It addresses such issues as: the reason for a system of segregated special…

There are ways to meet the need for social studies reform and revitalization other than adopting an "agenda of inquiry" which would incorporate the potentially appealing aspects of the radical perspective, as proposed by Fred M. Newmann. As a result of recent reform reports, many educators have already taken action to improve educational…

In May 1975, the School Education Law in Japan was revised, creating the category of special training schools out of the numerous types of miscellaneous schools that had sprung up following the end of World War II. The Japanese government created regulations for the schools, specifying that the purpose of the special training schools was to help…

The music skill capabilities and deficiencies of students with mild mental disabilities, and general accommodations necessary for successful participation are discussed. Potential growth in music education is sometimes hampered by educators who underestimate the academic skills required within the typical music class and educators who…

The survey of all 50 state departments of education (and the District of Columbia examined nondiscriminatory evaluation policy. The examination of state policy documents included both an analysis of regulatory language and implementation procedures. State adherence to Public Law 94-142 Protection in Evaluation Procedures (PEP) and the development…

The monograph provides an integrative review on the environmental and instructional factors that appear to be most conducive to the complex, interactive, and interdependent process of learning. Ten instructional strategies empirically documented to have a critical impact on a student's ability to learn are discussed in detail. They are: (1) The…

This booklet is a collection of proven exemplary educational programs and practices from the National Diffusion Network (NDN) of Michigan. As part of a two-part series, this publication covers administration and organizational arrangements. The NDN facilitates the exchange of information between the developers of successful projects and adopting…

Grouping students homogeneously by ability level is a common practice in public middle and secondary schools. This practice persists despite research evidence that it actively hinders students' learning. To change grouping practices, however, concurrent changes must be made in the design of schedules, curriculum, and instruction. Such changes can…

Certain Japanese educational practices serving as worthwhile examples to the United States' educational system are highlighted in this overview of Japanese education. However, it is stressed that because the United States and the Japanese educational systems are dependent upon their social context and exist in a symbiotic relationship within that…

A series of discussions on the present and possible future of education in Sweden is presented. The major themes covered are: the boredom of school; school and the life-cycle; the problem of examinations; a comparison of schooling and eating; a pupil centered school; experimental schools in Sicily and Oslo; the university; distinctions among the…

Formal education has traditionally played the conservative role of transmitting values, culture, skills, and knowledge from one generation to the next. Its role has become dysfunctional in societies such as those in Asia and the Pacific that are characterized by rapid change. In societies such as these, the need now is for education for…