The report describes a program to improve students social skills and level of responsibility. The targeted eighth and ninth grade students are located in two communities in northwestern Illinois. The problem of students exhibiting a lack of social skills and responsibility had been documented by student discipline referrals, anecdotal records,…

Recognizing that violent behavior is a complex phenomenon that is manifested in many different ways, the focus of this paper is to inform the development and implementation of school-based violence prevention strategies. The Second Step Program of the Jefferson County Public Schools is highlighted as an example of a successful violence prevention…

The North Carolina Standard Course of Study aims to guarantee that all students have equal access to education. This revised North Carolina Standard Course of Study for English Language Arts is intended as a flexible guide to instruction, emphasizing what students should know and be able to do as they progress through various levels of…

This report describes a program for improving students' comprehension of the language of mathematical problems. The targeted population consists of 5th and 6th grade multi-age students and multi-age learners with special needs at a middle school located outside a major city in a Midwestern community. Evidence for the existence of this problem…

Aimed at parents of early adolescents, this book helps parents provide the skills teens need to cope with life's everyday frustrations and to make informed decisions about problems such as the stresses of homework, friendship, contending with peer pressure, and dealing with bullies. The foundation of the book is the "I Can Problem Solve" (ICPS)…

This study examines the mentoring practices of a mentor teacher who was actively engaged in creating an inquiry-focused, year-long internship, noting the intern-mentor dyad's negotiation of a successful learning context as perceived by the intern, the mentor, and a university faculty member. Data collection involved both ethnographic and…

The collection of narratives by eight bilingual education teachers addresses what the teachers experience and how they make sense of bilingual teaching, including successful teaching strategies, and is intended to encourage other bilingual education teachers to find their own solutions to instructional problems. An introductory section explains…

Prevention is the ultimate key to reversing the upward trend in the use of drugs and to empowering communities to address their drug problems. An essential factor is the development and implementation of initiatives to prevent illicit drug use. A goal of prevention for youth is to provide them with a set of skills and tools to help them resist the…

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of 6 factors that affect college students' self-rating of change in problem solving and critical thinking abilities after 4 years of college. Based on the available literature, these six factors were selected for investigation: (1) Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores; (2) a socioeconomic…

Noting that elementary school students can learn to resolve basic everyday conflicts without resorting to verbal or physical aggression, this empathy-based program provides a foundation for resolving problems without the intervention of mediators or adults and for providing written documentation of the solution for parents, administrators, and…

The new emphasis on communication of ideas and problem solving in mathematics teaching places an additional burden on limited English proficient (LEP) students with relatively poor language skills and their teachers. This research addresses the question of how students' language proficiency affects teachers' assessment of students' mathematical…

A study was conducted for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement directed toward research priorities that would further progress toward high achievement for all students. The study focused on three topics, each addressed by a panel: (1) strengthening the capacity of research for contributing to educational improvement; (2) critical…

This paper presents information and strategies designed to enable teachers and counselors to understand, practice, and utilize the group process known as open classroom meetings. It considers the types of classroom meetings that can be utilized, such as social problem solving meetings, open-ended meetings, and educational diagnostic meetings. The…

A detailed analysis was conducted of the patterns of interactions between a child and a teacher in a one-to-one reading tutorial setting in the context of the Reading Recovery literacy program. The interactions between a teacher and two of her students were observed, videotaped, and analyzed. The participation of the two students in problem…

This study employed a 2x2 (Generative Activities by Navigational Activities) post-test only research design in examining learning while using a hypertext system in a linear, navigational, linear generative, or navigational generative format. Participants were 43 undergraduate students. In the first experiment, participants were assigned to one of…