The cases in this book, based on classroom observations and interviews with principals and key teachers at 17 California middle schools, focus in depth on middle-grade reform in the classroom. Organized in four chapters, the cases look at four critical areas of curriculum and instruction: (1) heterogeneous grouping; (2) cooperative learning; (3)…

In December 1989, the School District of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) and Research for Better Schools, Inc., with the support of the State Department of Education, initiated a collaborative 2-year study of the district's Chapter 1 schoolwide projects. This report presents findings from the study of McMichael Elementary School (kindergarten through…

This sourcebook, prepared by the Intercampus Group on Collaborative Learning of Indiana University, offers suggestions to those who are already familiar with collaborative learning, but want to know how others are responding to the same or similar challenges. Papers are presented that examine general issues of collaborative learning in the Arts…

A family literacy program for increasing 3- to 5-year-old children's literacy skills by educating their Mexican American parents is evaluated. Project Family Literacy--Aprendiendo, Mejorando, Educando ("Learning, Improving, Educating") (Project FLAME) is a federally funded program addressing Hispanic Americans' academic failure,…

A university faculty member and a retired elementary principal developed a practicum course for preservice students entering a 1-year post-baccalaureate program. The course included on-campus and in-school experiences. The two professionals met frequently to get to know one another, examine course requirements, and determine what unique knowledge…

About 2 years after enactment of the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Program, the Southport Institute for Policy Analysis began a 2-year study of how extensively JOBS was being implemented at the state level, in what manner, and with what results. The study included four elements: literature review, interviews and consultations with…

The purpose of this report is to examine the processes and skills involved in helping teachers write narratives about cases rich enough to be useful in teacher education programs. The approach described necessitates collaborative exchanges among teachers and researchers and requires numerous iterations of the original narratives. The report traces…

Part of a 3-year study of the Chapter 1 Neglected or Delinquent (Chapter 1 N or D) Program providing compensatory education services to youths in state-operated juvenile and adult correctional facilities, this report presents case studies of nine facilities that have developed particularly effective programs. The study used teacher questionnaires,…

This publication presents a case study of the public school desegregation and redesign program of the East Baton Rouge Parish (Louisiana) School System, focusing on the 5 years from 1987 to 1992. Chapter 1 describes the setting and background, the sociocultural history of the area since pre-Revolutionary War days, the role and treatment of African…

There has been considerable concern among policymakers over the last decade about the recruitment and retention of talented and energetic people into teaching. A study is described that documented what three talented and idealistic prospective teachers hoped to accomplish in their teaching and how their goals developed through teacher education…

This case study reports on a comprehensive college and its implementation of several initiatives for the reform of teacher education. In its revision process, Marywood College (Pennsylvania) focused on six specific objectives: (1) to investigate major national studies on the improvement of teaching; (2) to collaborate with school practitioners;…

Since its introduction in 1988 the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), the main public examination for pupils at age 16 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, has become an obvious area in which to investigate gender-related differences in performance. As a complex attainment test, the GCSE is largely made up of a coursework…

This annotated bibliography is a compilation of recently published literature about inclusion of students with disabilities in the mainstream of school and community life. The 279 resources are organized into 19 topical areas and are indexed by more than 200 subject descriptors. Within each section, resources are displayed alphabetically by author…

A study examined the acquisition of negation in English as a Second Language in a 4-year-old Salvadoran girl, a native speaker of Spanish. Specifically, the study looked for evidence of language transfer in bilingual acquisition and the direction of that transfer (Spanish to English, English to Spanish). Over 5 months, spontaneous speech (55…

The focus of this report is children's construction and analogical transfer of mathematical knowledge during novel problem solving, as reflected in their strategies for dealing with isomorphic combinatorial problems presented in "hands-on" and written form. Case studies of 9-year-olds, one low and one high achieving in school…