WHAT WORKS is a 1986 summary of "Research about Teaching and Learning" available from the government Consumer Information Center, Pueblo, Colorado 81009. Some of the condensed research findings are presented below.

HOME LEARNING
* Parents are their children's first and most influential teachers. What parents do to help their children learn is more important to academic success than how well-off the family is.
* The best way for parents to help their children become better readers is to read to them - even when they are very young. Children benefit most from reading aloud when they discuss stories, learn to identify letters and words, and talk about the meaning of words.
* A good way to teach children simple arithmetic is to build on their informal knowledge. This is why learning to count everyday objects is an effective basis for early arithmetic lessons.
* Belief in the value of hard work, the importance of personal responsibility, and the importance of education itself contributes to greater success in school.

CLASSROOM LEARNING
* Children get more out of a reading assignment when the teacher precedes the lesson with background information and follows it with discussion.
* Children learn science best when they are able to do experiments, so they can witness science in action.
* Although students need to learn how to find exact answers to arithmetic problems, good math students also learn the helpful skill of estimating answers. This skill can be taught.
* Children's understanding of the relationship between being smart and hard work changes as they grow.
* Student achievement rises significantly when teachers regularly assign homework and students conscientiously do it.
* The most effective way to teach writing is to teach it as a process of brainstorming, composing, revising, and editing.
* When teachers explain exactly what students are expected to learn, and demonstrate the steps needed to accomplish a particular academic task, students learn more.
* The ways in which children study influence strongly how much they learn. Teachers can often help children develop better study skills.

SCHOOL.
* The most important characteristics of effective schools are strong instructional leadership, a safe and orderly climate, school-wide emphasis on basic skills, high teacher expectations for student achievement, and continuous assessment of pupil progress.
* Schools contribute to their students' academic achievement by establishing, communication, and enforcing fair and consistent discipline policies.
* Teachers welcome professional suggestions about improving their work, but rarely receive them.
* The best way to learn a foreign language in school is to start early and to study it intensively over many years.
* Advancing gifted students at a faster pace results in their achieving more than similarly gifted students who are taught at a normal rate.
* High school students who complement their academic studies with extracurricular activities gain experience that contributes to their success in college.
* Business leaders report that students with solid basic skills and positive work attitudes are more likely to find and keep jobs than students with vocational skills alone.