The impact of school resources on student outcomes was first raised in the 1960s and has been controversial since then. This issue enters into the decision making on school finance in both legislatures and the courts. The historical research found little consistent or systematic relationship of spending and achievement, but this research…

These are the appendixes for the report, "What Grade 7 Foundational Knowledge and Skills Are Associated with Missouri Students' Algebra I Achievement in Grade 8?" To increase opportunities for students to take more advanced math courses in high school, many school districts enroll grade 8 students in Algebra I, a gateway course for…

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) measures trends in children's reading literacy achievement. PIRLS was conducted for the third time in 2011. It is conducted under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and compares the reading attainment and attitudes to reading…

This report provides important perspective on the distinctive and changing features of Milwaukee's K-12 education landscape. The authors conducted two comparative analyses of Milwaukee schools. The first, a trend analysis, traces how Milwaukee schools have changed in the past decade. The second, a peer analysis, shows how Milwaukee schools compare…

This report was produced for the 2012 Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers meeting in Mauritius. Its main purpose is to track the historical progress and likelihood of attainment of Education For All and education-specific Millennium Development Goals while also critically reviewing the methods used to track this progress. The analyses…

Traces student comprehension in beginning economics course examinations in the United Kingdom from 1969 to 1973. Demonstrates that males performed better on multiple-choice tests, females performed better on essay examinations, and that female learning rates were lower than male learning rates. Reviews the influence of precollege courses. Includes…

On April 5, 2002, the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) entered into a compliance agreement with the U.S. Department of Education to bring the state into compliance with the provisions of the following federal laws: Title 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1994, P.L. 103-382 and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)…

On April 5, 2002, the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) entered into a compliance agreement with the U.S. Department of Education to bring the state into compliance with the provisions of the following federal laws: Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1994, P.L. 103-382 and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)…

The math achievement of third and fourth grade special education students has been identified as an area of concern within a public school located in a small rural town located on the east coast. The purpose of this action research study was to investigate whether or not the Touch Math strategy increased the math ability of third and fourth grade…

Developed as an easy to use reference on test data for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), this report is divided into two sections: analysis of county data and analysis of school data. Features of the report are as follows: (1) a longitudinal analysis of performance of students tested in MCPS in 1976, 1978 and 1980; (2) school results broken…

The Cognitive Science Laboratory of the University of Southern California has conducted a series of studies on the experimental effects of motivation on a low-stakes (to the student) standardized test. This report summarizes these studies and their results. The test in question is the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). A series of…

This study brings together a large body of literature on indicators of changes in U.S. scholastic aptitude and achievement levels within the 1944-1980 period. The population target is youth from preschool to post-college graduate ages. The study is divided into three major sections: (1) a discussion of the trends which have emerged over time that…

In recent years, West Virginia high school students have improved their performance on the ACT exam and have been steadily approaching the national average on ACT composite scores. In 2001, the gap between West Virginia test-takers and the national average was eight-tenths of a point. As of 2005, the gap was at six-tenths of a point.…

Recent research shows that U.S. 15-year-olds are behind their international counterparts in problem solving and mathematics literacy, ranking 24th of 29 nations (Lemke et al. 2004). Therefore, a key concern among policymakers and educators is improving the quantitative and analytical skills of American youth, who face job prospects in an economy…

This report contains the best national data available to provide a reliable and comprehensive overview of American reading today. While it incorporates some statistics from the National Endowment for the Arts' 2004 report, "Reading at Risk," this new study contains vastly more data from numerous sources. Although most of this information is…