Presents a discussion paper reflecting on the National Literacy Strategy (NLS) after one year of operation. Argues that once the NLS becomes established it will be necessary for all teachers to engage with the research literature so that they teach from a position of professional understanding of the processes involved in reading and writing…

Examines the effects of a Peer Norms Correction (PNC) procedure on college students' perceptions of campus drinking and their actual drinking behavior. Results suggest that PNC may be useful in correcting misperceptions about the norms for alcohol use but not for decreasing heavy drinking among college students. (Contains 28 references and 2…

Tests the effectiveness of a training booklet designed to enhance patients' communication skills in information exchange. Results indicate that trained patients engaged in more effective and efficient information seeking, provided physicians with more detailed information about their medical condition, and used more summarizing utterances to…

Notes that the purpose of the project was to collect evidence about learning in the "life school" of families. Describes the second session in which people brought in artifacts to tell family stories about learning in their homes. Finds that families and teachers involved in this project become more aware of home experiences as part of literacy…

Explores the conceptualization of social justice embedded in the education-action-zones policy recently implemented in England. Although zone populations suffer three types of social injustice, the initiative recognizes economic disadvantage, but inadequately acknowledges cultural and associational injustices. Cultural remedies cannot be imposed…

Describes a program at Southeast Missouri State University that uses process recordings, or written records of student-tutor conferences, in peer tutoring and editing sessions for composition courses. Suggests that process recording increases the benefits of peer-editing activities and teaches students to be better readers of their own writing as…

Investigates the cost efficiency of British universities, based on a flexible multiproduct cost-function model. UK universities are characterized by increasing returns to scale. Returns to scale in research are increasing for the top and middle university groups and constant for the bottom group. Increasing returns hold for undergraduate teaching…

Reports the result of an intervention designed to increased oral reading fluency and listening previewing. Three reading-impaired African American male elementary students exposed to the program evidenced substantial increases on correct words per minute and percent comprehension accuracy, and substantial decreases in mean number of errors. (JPS)

Evaluates an attempt to establish a support group for parents and relatives whose children were in the care of one health board, based on a qualitative study supplemented by individual interviews. Shows that this support group was successful. Suggests ways in which the therapeutic potential of such groups could be enhanced and more parents…

Two functional communication training (FCT) conditions were compared to treat behavior problems of a child with mental retardation. The child was taught to emit a single FCT response to obtain one of six items or multiple FCT responses that specified the exact item. Only the FCT-multiple conditions reduced problem behavior. (Contains four…

Discusses the elements of a successful project evaluation that helps determine whether projects are worth funding because they are making a positive difference in student learning and achievement. A successful project evaluation involving the Manchester (New Hampshire) public school district's infrastructure is highlighted. (GR)

Defines "at-risk youth." Describes characteristics of resilient children and their families, friends and mentors, schools, and communities. Discusses camp program practices that have been shown to promote resiliency: focus on youth development, intentional processes that target the personal domain, organizational elements borrowed from…

Examines the extent to which a high school physics course prepares students for college physics success. In this study of 1,933 introductory college physics students, demographic and schooling factors account for a large fraction of the variation in college physics grades at 18 colleges and universities from around the nation. (Author/SAH)

The North Carolina Transition Services Survey, designed to evaluate the impact of federally-funded transition systems change grant, was completed by 76 of 116 school systems. Analysis evaluated relationships between types of transition services, implementation strategies, and delivery of best practices. Systems that focused on implementing…

Examines the effects of randomizing components of an interdependent group contingency procedure on the target behavior of 12 second-grade students. Study compares levels of disruptive behavior across baseline, an intervention phase with only randomized reinforcers, and an intervention phase with all components randomized. Results suggest that both…