Assessed what urban African American custodial parents perceived as barriers to school involvement and strategies to facilitate involvement. Data from surveys of and interviews with parents of students at low-performing Florida elementary schools indicated that poor communication between home and school, lack of child care, and lack of…

Presents findings from a longitudinal evaluation of the effectiveness of the Michigan School Readiness Program, which targeted four-year-olds at risk for school failure. Compared to nonparticipants of similar age and socioeconomic background, 24 percent more participants passed the grade 4 state literacy test, 16 percent more passed the…

Investigated the effectiveness of a school-wide discipline model designed to improve classroom behavior while reducing the extent to which all students, especially those with emotional and behavioral problems, were involved in disciplinary actions. Treatment fidelity data provided support for the integrity of teachers' use of the program. Numbers…

Investigated relationships between teacher suspicion of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and teacher ratings on common behavior measures used to identify ADHD. Data on urban African American first graders came from teacher ratings, parent ratings, and a child behavior checklist. Results found that teacher suspicion of ADHD related…

Surveyed elementary principals regarding their perceptions of inclusive education. Principals spent very little time planning for implementing inclusion. They reported that their teachers, staff, and parents had substantially different opinions about inclusion. They were disappointed in assistance received from resource personnel who should have…

Describes an innovative supplemental curriculum program that generates positive self-concept growth while reinforcing fundamental reading processes, improving reading comprehension, and fostering reading enjoyment. How to implement this program by networking with the Telephone Pioneers of America and local school and business partners is…

Analyzed the interrelation between achievement and personal-motivational variables in students at risk of school failure and students not at risk. Results from 606 third graders show that students with and without academic problems are different with respect to certain motivational-affective variables. Prediction of academic success from affective…

Assessed the effects of a proactive instructional approach to school-wide discipline in common areas of an urban elementary school of 555 students on the social interactions of students and referrals for disciplinary action. Results show a clear improvement in social behavior that was maintained throughout the experiment. (SLD)

Presents results of a study on extremely effective and ineffective elementary schools in the Netherlands involving 124 schools with high proportions of ethnic minority students. Findings show that schools with a high percentage of ethnic minority students are not necessarily ineffective. In the most effective schools, teachers spent more time on…

Studied how differences in race, gender, and academic ability affected students' use of computers and attitudes toward computers. Results with 73 suburban fifth graders show that computer technologies were less available to students who did not do well with traditional approaches, in spite of the interest traditionally disadvantaged students…

Defines and discusses at-risk readers, and reviews assessments of student classroom performance. Strategies that have been successful with at-risk readers in the elementary classroom are discussed, including dramatization, parallel drama, semantic guides, word images, connecting reading and writing, and media-intervention. (SLD)