Results from a study of students from two high schools indicate that by using data from students' permanent records, dropouts could be differentiated with 66 percent accuracy in third grade and with 85 percent accuracy by ninth grade. School-attending nongraduates could be identified with 77 percent accuracy by ninth grade. (IAH)

Results from an experimental study suggest that (a) participation in classroom management workshops enhanced teachers' (N=29) organizational and management skills; (b) district personnel could be trained to deliver the workshops and conduct classroom observation; and (c) training procedures that were successful with secondary classrooms were also…

Two models are presented, which depict dropping out as a developmental process that may begin in the earliest grades. The frustration-self-esteem model focuses on school failure and student rejection of or by a school. The participation-identification model focuses on student involvement in schooling, with behavioral and emotional components. (TJH)

A program designed to enhance children's prosocial development was conducted in three suburban elementary schools for five years. Findings for students from kindergarten through grade four emphasize the need for supportive teacher-student relationships and opportunities for student decision making, autonomy, and collaborative interaction. (TJH)

The construct validity of 290 preadolescent children's responses to 3 instruments claiming to measure dimensions of self-concept was studied. Instruments administered to the fifth graders include the Self-Description Questionnaire; the Perceived Competence Scale; and the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scales. (SLD)

The ontogeny of school failure (SF) was studied by examining characteristics of 112 first graders, 63 of whom were considered at risk for SF. Measures of achievement, intelligence, behavior, language, and learning potential were used with cluster analysis. Development of SF was a more complex phenomenon than unitary factors suggested. (SLD)

First-year outcomes are reported for Success for All--a program designed to bring all children to grade level in basic skills by the third grade. The program uses one-to-one tutoring, reading methods, frequent assessment, enhanced preschool and kindergarten programs, family support, and other interventions to prevent learning problems from…

The meaning-making strategies of 12 Mexican-American fifth grade students (5 males and 7 females), for whom English was a second language, were studied. Subjects' understanding and recall of Spanish and English texts were studied. Focus was on determining how reading strategies in both languages and knowledge sources relate to understanding. (SLD)

Third grade students involved in group-assisted reading made greater achievement gains in comprehension and vocabulary than did those who were given no assistance. Group-assisted reading is easy to implement and may be used to help remedial readers perform better. (JD)

Literature on social responsibility and academic achievement is reviewed. It is suggested that socially responsible behavior can influence achievement by (1) promoting positive interactions with teachers and peers; and (2) constraining and enhancing the learning process by encouraging students to be compliant and responsible. (SLD)

This meta-analysis reviewed 58 effect sizes from 40 reports on the instructional effects of feedback in tests or similar situations. Mediated instructional feedback for retrieval and application of specific knowledge appeared to stimulate correction of erroneous responses when its reception was encouraged. (SLD)

Research on reading comprehension and its teaching is reviewed. A theoretical basis is presented for conceptualizing the reading comprehension curriculum as a set of five strategies. Research on teaching facilitates a new view of instruction, focusing on the negotiation of meaning among students and teachers through teachers' instructional…

Self-questioning, summarizing, and review of lecture notes were compared as strategies for learning from lectures for 56 underprepared college students. Subjects were randomly assigned to self-questioning (19 students), summarizing (19 students), and notetaking-review (18 students) conditions. Self-questioners performed better than summarizers and…

Two studies involving 801 middle school students examined the effects of changing educational environments on children's academic self-concepts and motivation. Overall, the findings suggest that changing emphases in the educational environment have complicated academic outcomes that depend on the individual resources that children bring to the…

Effects of variations in a schoolwide restructuring program, Success for All, in Baltimore (Maryland) on student reading achievement and other outcomes in elementary schools with large numbers of disadvantaged children are presented. Strong positive effects of the intervention are recognized, and program replication is discussed. (SLD)