Jessica Calarco explains in this article that students from different backgrounds tend to manage problems in contrasting ways that can have real consequences in the classroom. More specifically, Calarco observed children from middle-class families tended to actively seek help from their teachers, while children from working-class families…

With the Common Core State Standards, instruction in English language arts will dramatically change. Unlike prior state standards, these new standards place a greater emphasis on reading challenging texts. To that end, teachers will need to support students in paying closer attention to such texts. Instead of focusing on pre-reading activities…

Before the "big test" did you use the following study strategies: highlighting, rereading, and cramming? As students many of us probably did, yet research shows that while these three strategies are commonly used, they have been ineffective in retaining information. Learning strategies have been discussed in almost every textbook on…

Five years ago, as a way to ensure that students not only learn to decode but also understand what they decode, the Core Knowledge Foundation, the nonprofit that publishes the Core Knowledge curriculum, created a language arts program for kindergarten through second grade. The program includes two 60-minute strands: (1) a "Skills Strand," in which…

Spatial thinking--such as visualizing the earth rotating--is crucial to student success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Since spatial thinking is associated with skill and interest in STEM fields (as well as in other areas, such as art, graphic design, and architecture), the immediate question is whether it can be…

This article presents findings from two research projects concerning the educational achievement and well-being of Hispanic children. The first set of findings is from the first-ever study to calculate high school graduation rates for children with different levels of reading skill in third grade, by race-ethnicity and poverty experience. This…

Popular views about language and how children and youth learn language are based mainly in cognitive approaches in support of a common knowledge theory of language development. This common theory feeds into the efforts to increase teacher and learner accountability as measured on narrow assessments of what it means to use language well and in…

Many nine- and ten-year-old boys find reading interesting but begin to feel insecure about themselves as readers and avoid reading whenever they can. Reading avoidance starts early and for many boys, especially those of color living in poverty, fourth grade seems to be the time when this downward spiral begins. National and state assessment data…

One of the most pressing problems in the United States is improving student academic performance, especially the nation's burgeoning Latina/o student population. There is a dearth of research on variables associated with student achievement in Latina/o majority schools in urban districts. As the majority of Latina/o students are segregated into…

The most important activity for encouraging reading success is reading aloud, particularly during the preschool years. Presents information on: the benefits of reading aloud, making reading aloud enjoyable, what to do if a child resists, when to stop reading aloud, what to do if a child wants to look ahead in the book, and what comes after picture…

The 51 lessons in the full curriculum show how children can be brought step-by-step to understand the architecture of their language through phonemic awareness and how this understanding prepares them for reading and writing. Activities, some of which are presented, are developed for kindergarten but can be used in first grade or special…

Describes an action plan to help every child read well. The research base for successful reading is outlined, and specific suggestions are made for reading strategies for preschool, beginning reading, and later elementary school programs. Ten strategies are mapped out to achieve the goal of every child reading. (SLD)

Describes a bookstore established for and run by students at an elementary school in New York City. Students are paid for work as cashiers and store personnel with certificates for free books. An editor's note describes the growth of the program, which now buys in volume and supplies many schools around the country. (SLD)

Discusses the increased use of hands-on teaching activities that, while meant to engage students in learning, fail to teach them anything of importance. Explains why this trend started and why it is continuing to be used. Concluding comments provide questions teachers should ask during activity planning in order to make it an effective teaching…

Reports on the experiences of a Fort Collins (Colorado) elementary school that uses the Core Knowledge Curriculum (CKC). It explains how CKC promotes educational quality by eliminating curriculum gaps, legitimizing the grading system to reflect achievement, and building on previously learned material. E. D. Hirsch's book "Cultural Literacy" and…