This report examines whether a high school curriculum organized around the five "new basics" suggested by the National Commission on Excellence in Education is likely to enhance student achievement. Data from the ETS Growth Study reveals that completion of the core curriculum has sizable effects on senior-year test performance, even when…

The purposes of this study are to document the success of the Achievement Goals Program (AGP) in raising student achievement in San Diego Unified School District's minority-isolated schools and to provide recommendations for curriculum development and teacher training based on that success. Reports on the results of the Comprehensive Tests of…

Science education standards established by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the National Research Council (NRC) urge less emphasis on memorizing scientific facts and more emphasis on students investigating the everyday world and developing deep understanding from their inquiries. These approaches to instruction…

The research on effective schools has identified the superintendent's role as critical in the success of school improvement efforts. The New Brunswick school improvement program is featured as an example of a successful program. In 1980 the New Brunswick school system selected a new superintendent who faced a district with myriad problems…