This study was conducted to compare and contrast the nontraditional placement of student teachers in a single school for an entire semester rather than the more traditional approach of placement in several buildings during the same time period. Student teachers (N=25) were assigned to the Ottumwa (Iowa) Regional Center. Of these, 19 were placed…

This report presents stories, written by teachers in the northwestern United States, about their experiences with curriculum over the years. The stories come from several groups, including four teachers who wrote as individuals, one pair of close colleagues, and one interview with a team of educators. The teachers responded to questions about how…

A study examined the development of pragmatic competence in second language learners, focusing on the requests produced by adult non-native speakers (NNSs) of English across three settings (a university public administrative office, the private office of a university program officer, and an English as a Second Language classroom) and nine levels…

The word and picture processing abilities of 11 children (ages 6-10) with partial vision were studied in a variety of ways over a period of 14 months. The studies found that in processing words partially sighted children, like fully sighted children, used both lexical and nonlexical processing, though perhaps in difference balance. Recognition and…

This paper summarizes and critiques the literature concerning the development and use of time-compressed, intensive course formats in colleges and universities and suggests directions for future inquiry. The paper begins with a discussion of the origins of intensive courses and their development over time. Briefly reviewed are related educational…

The instrument for Colorado's Foreign Language Proficiency Sample Project and directions for its administration are provided in this document. The project is a voluntary, teacher-designed and -administered effort to standardize high school student language proficiency assessment techniques. The materials are used in teacher workshops. The…

The changes that occurred when a high school in Chattanooga (Tennessee) implemented a seven-period day in place of the traditional six periods were studied. The total time for instruction remained the same, but less time was available for specific subjects because each class was shortened by 10 minutes (from 55 to 45 minutes). Study participants…

This report resulted from a workshop held in September-October 1983, attended by participants from 15 countries in Asia and the Pacific. Information on the present status of mathematics education in participating countries was collected through questionnaires; it is summarized in terms of background information, time allocation, objectives of…

Focusing on improving college students' reading efficiency, a study investigated whether a commercially-prepared computerized speed reading package, Speed Reader II, could be utilized as effectively as traditionally printed text. Subjects were 70 college freshmen from a college reading and rate improvement course with borderline scores on the…

In order to discover the extent to which the rhetoric surrounding computers in schools is matched by reality, a study of computer use and teacher acceptance was undertaken in a large upper elementary school (grades 4-6) in an affluent, semi-rural community near a major metropolitan area. The school was near the end of its five year instructional…

Investigating the effects of a 1984 West Virginia State Board of Education (WVBE) policy which specified the use of instructional time, a study examined the effects of this policy on reading instruction in the primary grades by surveying a random representative sample of primary teachers and principals in West Virginia. In September 1986, 410…

The monograph summarizes findings of effective schools research, information on the characteristics of effective classrooms, and descriptions of the methodological and conceptual issues related to school improvement projects. The impact of the school effectiveness literature on classroom instruction is discussed, and implications for the…

Indiana's Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation began full-day, everyday kindergarten in four schools in the 1978-1979 school year. In 1980, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the first two years of full-day kindergarten was published. A longitudinal study of the effectiveness of full-day kindergarten, including information concerning…

For several years, the University of Massachusetts has been developing a series of introductory-level mathematics courses which place primary emphasis on the development of problem solving and conceptual skills. As the need arose for more instructors for this course, an instructor-training program was developed. This report describes the…

This report summarizes the data from a comparative study of grades 2 and 5 mathematics instruction and the use of Developing Mathematical Processes (DMP) in IGE and non-IGE settings. These results are part of a five-phase evaluation of the IGE system of elementary schooling. Use of DMP and reported adoption of IGE were not found to be good…