The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a curriculum for college developmental writing classes, developed in prior design research and based on self-regulated strategy instruction. Students learned strategies for planning, drafting, and revising compositions with an emphasis on using knowledge of genre organization to guide…

Created by the U.S. Congress in 2006, the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) represents the first federal initiative targeted directly at state and district efforts to introduce performance measures into educator compensation. TIF responds to a growing body of evidence that existing pay structures do not respond to labor force realities or adequately…

One of the ultimate goals of policy makers is to enable citizens to take advantage of a globalised world economy. This is leading them to focus on the improvement of education policies, ensuring the quality of service provision, a more equitable distribution of learning opportunities and stronger incentives for greater efficiency in schooling.…

Dropping out of high school seriously impacts an individual's job opportunities, income potential and employment stability. To minimize those risks, individuals can earn a General Educational Development (GED) credential. Researchers have studied the impact of obtaining a GED on candidates' lives and found that the credential affects their…

This supplemental report expands on the findings of the 2010 National Freshman Attitudes Report from Noel-Levitz by examining the wide-ranging attitudes and motivations of incoming, first-year students at two-year community, junior, career, and technical colleges. Specifically, this report contrasts the attitudes of: (1) Adult versus…

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) assesses the reading achievement of fourth-graders and collects data on their teachers' reading instruction practices and strategies. Presenting data from the United States and the 44 other jurisdictions that participated in PIRLS 2006, this Statistics in Brief describes international…

This report describes the self-reported attitudes and motivations of first-year college students nationally at the beginning of their undergraduate experience, based on a 100-item attitudinal survey administered in the summer and fall of 2008. In particular, the report examines student attitudes that may pose barriers and opportunities for…

Paying teachers varying amounts on the basis of how well their students perform is an idea that has been winning increasing support, both in the United States and abroad, and many school systems have adopted some version of it. Proponents claim that linking teacher pay to student performance is a powerful way to encourage talented and highly…

This study examined an approach for assessing and intervening with academic concerns that is conceptually derived from the distinction between skill deficits and performance deficits. A class-wide assessment was used to describe the students' functioning in the context of their peers and to help select a target concern for intervention. An…

This study, adopting an action-learning approach, aimed to redesign an existing problem-based learning (PBL) subject curriculum to accommodate the learning potential and interests of students. Based on students' perceptions of learning and learning experiences with PBL, a Subject Planning Team (SPT) consisting of both students and teachers was…

The problem of overqualification is related to the educational aspirations in a comparative cross-national study using data collected in opinion surveys in four European countries (Finland, France, Federal Republic of Germany, and Poland) and the United States. (JMF)

The effects of extended time on SAT Reasoning Test™ performance are examined. The study explored the impact of providing standard time, time and a half (1.5 time) with and without specified section breaks, and double time without specified section breaks on the verbal and mathematics sections of the SAT®. Differences among ability, disability, and…

This report details findings of the eighth annual (2003-2004) national survey of the attitudes and plans of American adolescents. Participating in the telephone survey was a nationally representative sample of 1,003 students aged 13 to 18, in ninth through twelfth grade. The report summarizes findings "at a glance" and discusses findings…

This report compares the thoughts and opinions of 106 National Scholars recognized by the Horatio Alger Association with those of a national sample of 2,250 adolescents 14 to 18 years old. The report summarizes findings "at a glance" in 11 categories: (1) schools; (2) student environment; (3) courses important for future success; (4) attitudes;…

This report details 2001-2002 findings of an annual, national survey of the attitudes and plans of American adolescents. Participating in the telephone survey was a nationally representative sample of 1,014 students 13 to 18 years of age in ninth through twelfth grade. The report summarizes findings "at a glance" and discusses findings under the…