This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Wara Alderete, Thomas Parrish, Literacy Beat, E. Joseph Schneider, Boston. Massachusetts State Dept. of Education, Juneau. Alaska State Dept. of Education, Bill Gaedke, Carol Anne Ramnarine, Thomas D. Yawkey, and Judith Smilg Kleinfeld.
(1982). Reading/Language Arts. Elementary and Middle School Curriculum Objectives. The purpose of this document is to spell out clear objectives in reading, writing, listening, and speaking for all students in Boston, Massachusetts, elementary and middle schools. The objectives include all of the Massachusetts Basic Skills; these are directly linked to competency tests and teacher observation at each level to measure students' individual progress. The objectives described are a maximum curriculum, not a set of minimum competencies. For students who are currently behind their grade levels, the objectives represent a set of goals; and for those who are working on or above their grade levels, the objectives can be used to maximize their growth. They can also be adapted to accomodate bilingual or special education students. The general framework integrates reading, writing, listening, speaking, and critical thinking into: (1) variety of material; (2) literal comprehension; (3) interpretive comprehension; (4) evaluative comprehension; (5) vocabulary building; (6) variety of writing; (7) writing as a craft; (8) the mechanics and usage of writing; (9) speaking; (10) study skills; and (11) language structure. A guideline for assessing students' achievement is provided. Appended are checklists for grades kindergarten through 8, proofreading marks, correlation with State skills, and references. Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Educational Needs, Educational Objectives, Elementary Education
(1992). Daughters of Abya Yala: Native Women Regaining Control. This book compiles testimonies of the struggles, everyday life, and accomplishments of Indian women from Central and South America. Following an introduction to the increasing role of Indian women in international forums and indigenous organizations, the words of individual women describe the problems that affect them and their determination to overcome such difficulties. Testimonies discuss physical and sexual abuse of children; the imposition of machismo on indigenous cultures by European invaders; a maternal and infant health project in the Peruvian Amazon; the need for an indigenous curriculum that allows mothers to be involved in their children's education; precontact roles of indigenous men and women; mothers as teachers of culture and spiritual ways; revival of spiritual traditions; goals of international meetings related to indigenous women's human rights, bilingual and intercultural education, and self-determination; religious freedom; self-directed community development; connection to the land and Pachamama (Mother Earth); pollution and ecological disequilibrium caused by development projects; need for training in leadership and organizational skills; political participation and social action; illiteracy; infant mortality; migration to the cities; seminars and workshops for consciousness raising and networking; marketing traditional crafts; and development of a hostel for indigenous secondary students. The final chapter lists 85 indigenous women's organizations and key contacts around the world. Includes many photographs. [More] Descriptors: Activism, American Indians, Child Health, Civil Liberties
(1997). Critical Thinking Skills: Levels of Preservice Elementary, Secondary, and Special Education Students. This paper presents the preliminary results of a longitudinal study to assess the development of critical thinking as preservice teachers progress through their educational program. Students will be assessed during their final year in the program to help give an overview of the growth of their critical thinking skills. The Cornell Critical Thinking Test (Level Z) was administered to students in elementary (n=44), secondary (n=20), political science (n=24), psychology (n=19), and a combined group of early childhood, bilingual, and special education students (n=11). Those enrolled in the student teacher program will be assessed again to evaluate their growth in thinking skills. The means and standard deviations for the groups are presented in tables, with means similar across the groups. Study results indicated that few teachers, programs, and institutions actively integrate, assess, teach, and evaluate critical thinking across the curriculum. Further, while teachers are expected to teach critical thinking skills, teachers are rarely taught specifically how to teach these skills. [More] Descriptors: Critical Thinking, Elementary Secondary Education, Higher Education, Longitudinal Studies
(1990). Educating the Whole Student: The School's Role in the Physical, Intellectual, Social and Emotional Development of Children. Structuring Schools for Student Success. This position paper: identifies key criteria by which school districts and school committees can assess how well they are meeting the physical, emotional, and social needs of children; suggests some specific strategies to accomplish these goals; and lists some promising programs and practices. Sections deal with the following topics: (1) reasons why schools should become involved in the emotional, social, and physical development of children; (2) how schools may foster the physical, intellectual, social, and emotional development of their students; (3) parent involvement; (4) curriculum; (5) staff/student relationships; (6) school structure and policies; (7) staff training; (8) integration of special, bilingual, and occupational education services with regular education; (9) student support services, including school counseling and psychological services, and school health services; (10) coordination of school and community services; and (11) the recommendation that school districts develop comprehensive plans to address the social, physical, emotional, and intellectual growth of their students. The document concludes that with a school plan for the physical, emotional, and social development of children, a school district can more effectively assess its progress in implementing its objectives for social and emotional growth. Descriptors: Elementary School Students, Elementary Secondary Education, Emotional Development, Humanistic Education
(1979). Eskimo School on the Andreafsky: A Study of Effective Bicultural Education. Praeger Studies in Ethnographic Perspectives on American Education. Written as part of a series of ethnographic studies, this book is a case study of a Catholic boarding high school for Alaskan Eskimos from remote villages undergoing rapid change. Six chapters appraise the bicultural educational principles employed at St. Mary's: (1) a profile of the students as effective bicultural people; (2) the relationship between students and staff; (3) educational aims and methods used at St. Mary's; (4) values and ideals of the students; (5) student selection policies; and (6) the model used at the school for bilingual and bicultural education. The study concludes that: St. Mary's is highly effective in cross-cultural education and produces graduates with skills and communication style needed for access to the opportunities of majority culture; its graduates succeed in college much more frequently than comparable Eskimo students, but learning skills which enable them to function well in the majority culture does not cut them off from the culture of their home villages, where they are noteworthy for quiet village leadership. An epilogue discusses problems encountered by the school and possible alternatives for its continued existence. Four appendices present statistics on characteristics of students, staff, and graduates, and the research methods used. Descriptors: Adjustment (to Environment), Alaska Natives, American Indian Education, American Indians
(1981). Programmatic R&D Institutions' Influence on Selected Follow Through Models. An attempt was made to test the assumption that a wide variety of institutions and agencies have the fiscal and managerial capability to house a programmatic research and development effort for education. To this end, interviews were conducted with the staff director or principal investigator of four Follow Through programs affiliated with member institutions of the Council for Educational Development and Research. Interviews sought to determine the extent to which directors/investigators believed their model's affiliation with the host institution enabled them to (1) benefit from the host institution's other major research and development thrusts, and (2) remain committed to a rigorous research and development mode rather than be turned into a technical assistance program for various school sites. Responsive education, bilingual/bicultural, individualized early learning, and cognitively oriented curriculum program models were investigated. Additionally, the sponsor of the direct instruction model, not developed in affiliation with a research and development institution, was interviewed to provide a basis for comparison. It was concluded that sponsors do benefit from affiliation with institutions having a strong commitment to programmatic research and development. It was also found that other factors appeared to be as important as the host institution's focus. [More] Descriptors: Comparative Analysis, Early Childhood Education, Educational History, Models
(1993). Assisting Secondary Limited English Proficient Students through the Implementation of Computer-Assisted Language Learning. A study investigated the utility of computer-assisted English second language instruction for limited-English-proficient (LEP) secondary school students in a system in which there was no regular bilingual or compensatory education offered. As a result of a home language survey and followup oral language proficiency test, three LEP or non-English-speaking students were identified. All needed a medium for communication and self-expression. These students were provided with instruction in the use of a word processing program and encouraged to use the computer independently. It was found that after the 12-week program, students acquired word processing skills and learned to use the computer for daily written assignments for regular classes. Recommendations for followup include incorporating word processing into the regular classrooms, perhaps drawing on the LEP students' newly-acquired knowledge, establishing a better procedure for identifying and addressing the needs of LEP students, and providing inservice training for regular classroom teachers in dealing with LEP student needs. A 22-item bibliography is included, and appended materials include the home language survey, a language skills checklist for teachers, and a student survey of computer skills. [More] Descriptors: Computer Assisted Instruction, English (Second Language), High School Students, High Schools
(1990). What Is New in Early Childhood Education: Do We Accept the Challenges?. Several trends are significantly affecting the early childhood education field, with the major accomplishment of crystallizing the scope of early childhood education as birth through 8 years of age. These trends and innovations include the following: (1) restructuring early childhood education programs, by introducing formal schooling, decentralizing schools, developing extended-day programs, and certifying early school teachers; (2) promoting positive self-concepts among children, through such programs as Project PIAGET (Promoting Intellectual Adaptation Given Experiential Transforming), a bilingual early childhood education program that employs social reinforcement for young children's actions, activities, modeling, playing, and imitating for a positive mosaic of self; (3) developing "thinking" skills and the attitudinal conditions (e.g., intellectual curiosity, objectivity, and open-mindedness) that promote skills such as focusing on a question, judging the credibility of a source, deducing and judging deductions, defining terms, and deciding on an action; (4) emphasizing active learning through involvement with physical objects and experiential social situations in such modes as play, imitation, two- and three-dimensional models, and onomatopoeia; (5) involving parents in their children's education by helping the parents understand their roles as their children's first teachers, understand school procedures, and develop positive attitudes toward school; (6) using computers; and (7) using peer groups as facilitators of learning. Individually and collectively, these trends present substantial challenges to early childhood teachers, administrators, parents, and children. (Contains 34 references.) [More] Descriptors: Cognitive Development, Computer Assisted Instruction, Cooperative Learning, Early Childhood Education
(1990). Myth #13: English Is Going Out of Style. Literacy education for non-English-speaking adults is taxing the fragile adult education system in the United States. Despite federal limitations, a million immigrants enter the country each year. In contrast with the past, the non-English-speaking need more education to compete in more sophisticated workplaces. The nation's largest cities are rapidly becoming bilingual, but because of the federal immigrant amnesty program, demand for English language instruction is also increasing substantially. Hispanics and Asians form the largest immigrant groups. Quality of instruction in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs is a matter of current concern. Volunteers account for a large proportion of ESL literacy teachers. Standards of instruction for immigrant amnesty programs are loose, and the dropout rate is high. Workplace language skills and literacy are greatly needed. Debate over the advantages and disadvantages of bilingual and multicultural education continues, but federal policymakers are focusing more on the need for effective ESL programs. Hispanic illiteracy and potential for inadequate education are high. Some literacy programs have been especially effective. The approaches used in the programs vary, including the use of native language skills to build English literacy, whole-language literacy development, parent involvement and literacy education, and job-related general education. A list of resource organizations is appended. (MSE) Descriptors: Adult Basic Education, Asian Americans, Educational Demand, English (Second Language)
(1997). Facts and Figures about Education in Alaska, 1996-97. This booklet provides a variety of demographic information about the Alaska school system covering, in most cases, the past 10 years. The Alaska Commissioners of Education from 1917 to the present are listed, followed by a phone directory of the department, and general district and school information. The section on student information gives average daily membership at public schools, Alyeska Central School, and Mt. Edgecumbe High School; vocational school enrollment and graduates; numbers of bilingual/bicultural, special education, gifted/talented, and migrant students; and the number of high school graduates and GED recipients. Alaska averages and national averages are given for SAT and ACT test scores. The section on staffing information contains certified staff by gender; salaries for teachers, building administrators, central office staff, and specialists; and pupil/teacher ratios. Number of students served and state reimbursements are given for boarding homes. Information on pupil transportation covers numbers of students transported, costs per pupil per day and per year, and total costs. Local, state, and federal revenues are presented, as are expenditures by cities, boroughs, and rural school districts. For national food programs, information is presented concerning total numbers of meals served, percent of total meals that are free or reduced-priced, amount of federal reimbursement for food programs, and value of commodities donated by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. School district information includes area in square miles, average student daily membership, name of superintendents, and contact information. [More] Descriptors: Average Daily Membership, Breakfast Programs, Elementary Secondary Education, Enrollment Trends
(1982). The Issue of Adequacy in the Financing of Public Education: How Much Is Enough?. In four chapters this monograph examines how states and the nation have defined both an adequate education and the funding level required to provide it, and suggests an approach to the issues of educational adequacy and equity. Chapter 1 defines adequacy in terms of the provision of learning services sufficient to meet a goal and argues that the question of adequacy cannot be separated from the issue of equity. The second chapter reviews historical literature on U.S. public education to find how past policy makers and scholars have conceptualized educational adequacy and equity. In chapter 3 the authors analyze the changing role of the states in providing educational funding, the dollar amounts the states provide, various measures of educational resource inputs, and state funding of supplemental programs in special, bilingual, and compensatory education. Chapter 3 also presents brief case studies of approaches to adequacy taken in Georgia, South Carolina, Washington State, and Connecticut. The final chapter proposes a resource-cost-based approach to adequacy and equity issues. Called the "Resource Cost Model," the suggested framework is a computer simulation model for determining resources needed by districts and expenditures required of states to provide an adequate education [More] Descriptors: Educational Equity (Finance), Educational Objectives, Educational Quality, Educational Resources
(1992). Educational Reform and American Indian Cultures. For 500 years, European-Americans have attempted to change and assimilate American Indian peoples through various forms of education. Attempts by well-meaning groups to reform Indian education have generally ignored the cultural validation necessary for American Indian children to succeed in American schools. As a result, Indian children frequently are at risk of school failure. Organized in chronological order, this paper reviews historical efforts to acculturate American Indian peoples through education. The first section includes missionary education of Native Americans during the colonial period, Indian students at early institutions of higher education, missionary motivation and failure, and Choctaw development of their own school system offering bilingual and cultural education. The second section covers federal government responsibility for Indian education, coercive Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools that took Indian children from their families, the Meriam report criticizing such schools, the "progressive" notion of a common culture disseminated through public schooling, and relevant federal legislation from 1934 to 1975. The final section discusses potential educational reforms that Native peoples themselves are demonstrating or proposing. These reforms and efforts include Indian participation in educational decision making, parental involvement, tribal activities that honor educational achievement, recruitment of promising Indian students to higher education (particularly teacher education), programs to help Indian teacher aides to become teachers, and culturally relevant curriculum at all levels. Research needs related to American Indian education are discussed. (Contains 29 references.) [More] Descriptors: Access to Education, Acculturation, American Indian Education, American Indian History
(1995). America Goes to School: Law, Reform, and Crisis in Public Education. This book takes the position that public schools can be saved if we can learn from history, discard ineffective methods and policies, and recognize the essential elements of quality education. Chapter 1 reviews reports that have portrayed a crisis in American public education. Chapter 2 examines disparities in public- and private-education costs. The third chapter examines education-reform movements, particularly the choice movement, and identifies the ingredients of effective education. The fourth chapter reviews the history of American public education, with a view to understanding today's school system. The legacy of racial discrimination is described in the fifth chapter. Chapter 6 considers American judicial landmark decisions and their effects on public education in the areas of bilingual and special education. Chapters 7 and 8 discuss court cases on school violence and public-school financing. Chapter 9 offers the following recommendations for improving American public schools: (1) return authority to the classroom teacher; (2) eliminate the segregation of class by age; (3) create magnet classrooms open to all children willing to abide a code of discrimination and conduct; and (4) eliminate teacher-certification programs and base teacher hiring on expertise. References accompany each chapter. (Contains 112 references.) Descriptors: Access to Education, Court Litigation, Educational Change, Educational Equity (Finance)
(1993). Meeting the Dental Hygiene Needs of Elementary Hispanic Migrant Students through Supplemental Health Instruction and Services in a Community Setting. This report describes and evaluates a program to improve the dental health of Hispanic migrant children in a Los Angles County school district. Difficulties in providing dental health care to this population included the high cost of dental care, limited access to dental services, poor nutrition, and lack of parental involvement. The 3-month program consisted of community awareness activities, dental screening of 134 migrant students, recruitment of 3 local dentists to accept state medical assistance payments, recruitment of parents to participate in dental health education, selection and development of bilingual dental hygiene education materials for elementary migrant students and their parents, and treatment arrangements for students with urgent dental care needs. Program outcomes indicate that 47 children who consistently participated in dental hygiene instruction did not develop additional cavities. Children whose parents were active in the program were consistent in dental hygiene practices and showed improved dental health. Although 15 children with urgent dental care needs received treatment, an additional 48 children still needed dental care at the end of the program. Although the program was successful in meeting most of its objectives, there is a need to increase long-term dental services, including preventive care, to low-income children. Appendices include parent permission form and dental screening form. [More] Descriptors: Access to Health Care, Community Involvement, Dental Health, Elementary Education
(1965). BILINGUALISM AND THE BILINGUAL CHILD–A SYMPOSIUM. AN UNDERSTANDING OF BILINGUALISM AND ITS EFFECT ON INDIVIDUAL LEARNING PROCESSES WAS THE THEME OF THESE PAPERS PREPARED FOR A JUNE 1964 CONFERENCE FOR THE TEACHER OF THE BILINGUAL CHILD (UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS). TWO PAPERS SUBMITTED BY JOSHUA A. FISHMAN DISCUSS THE STATUS OF NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE RESOURCES IN THE UNITED STATES, THE PROSPECTS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THESE RESOURCES, AND THE POSSIBLE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BILINGUALISM, INTELLIGENCE, AND LANGUAGE LEARNING. THE NEED TO CORRECT CURRENT MISEDUCATION OF SPANISH-SPEAKING CHILDREN IN THE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST, AND THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES LEARNED FROM LANGUAGE EDUCATION OF BILINGUALS TO LANGUAGE EDUCATION IN GENERAL IS STRESSED BY THEODORE ANDERSSON. ACCULTURATION OF THE BILINGUAL CHILD IS PROMOTED IN CHESTER C. CHRISTIAN JR.'S REPORT. A. BRUCE GAARDER DISCUSSES THE RESEARCH EFFORTS DESIGNED TO STRENGTHEN AND MAINTAIN A CHILD'S MOTHER TONGUE, WHICH IN TURN COULD HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON THAT YOUNGSTER'S INTELLECT, PERSONALITY, AND ABILITY TO LEARN ENGLISH. THE LAST TWO PAPERS PRESENTED HERE FIND THE AUTHORS, DAVID T. HAKES, AND PAULINE M. ROJAS, DEALING RESPECTIVELY WITH UNDERSTANDING THE BILINGUAL THROUGH PSYCHOLOGY, AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS SPECIFICALLY GEARED FOR BILINGUALS. THIS IS A REPRINT FROM "THE MODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL," VOLUME 49, NUMBERS 3 AND 4, MARCH AND APRIL 1965, PAGES 143-175, 220-239. [More] Descriptors: Acculturation, Bilingual Students, Bilingualism, Conference Reports