The national demonstration of ExpandED Schools, The After-School Corporation's (TASC) expanded learning model, was launched in 2011-12 in New York City, Baltimore, and New Orleans. The ExpandED Schools demonstration is being evaluated by Policy Studies Associates (PSA) and is rolling out at a time when there is heightened awareness among…

Research confirms that when students disengage from learning, there is a greatly increased risk of them dropping out of school and not completing secondary education (Year 12). In an Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) report on Equity in Education [OECD. 2012. "Investing in Equity in Education Pays off", in…

This article discusses teachers' attitudes towards immigrant students in poor settings and the effect these attitudes have on organization of education on classroom level. It draws on results from two ethnographic studies where some primary school classes in Sweden were followed with participant observation and interviews as main research methods.…

This study examined the degree to which dimensions of parenting predicted early academic outcomes in a sample of 111 low-income African American children. Three aspects of parenting were assessed when the children were 36 months old: language stimulation, math-related stimulation, and maternal sensitivity. Academic outcomes were assessed at 54…

In the era of globalisation, language-in-education policies continue to present challenges as policy-makers across the globe aim to balance the emphasis given to students' first language and the pressing need for students to be proficient in English as the global "lingua franca" [Hanna, P. (2011). Gaining global perspective: Educational…

This study examined how societal changes associated with modernization are related to cognitive development. Data were from 4 cultural communities that represented a broad range of traditional and modern elements: the Garifuna (Belize), Logoli (Kenya), Newars (Nepal), and Samoans (American Samoa). Naturalistic observations and the performances of…

Research on differential susceptibility to rearing suggests that infants with difficult temperaments are disproportionately affected by parenting and child care quality, but a major U.S. child care study raises questions as to whether quality of care influences social adjustment. One thousand three hundred sixty-four American children from…

An extensive descriptive study of high school physical education programs in 15 urban Canadian high schools collected and analyzed data to provide insight into student (N=225) activity as an indication of physical education quality. Motor skill and cognitive development activities were observed and analyzed. (IAH)

This policy brief explores kindergarten readiness observation and its benefits to local and state level stakeholders; highlights efforts by California counties and other states to measure school readiness; and makes recommendations for moving toward statewide use of kindergarten readiness observation tools. Key points include: (1) Early efforts to…

The methods and validity of evaluations of cognitive development, in language and numbers, of children ages three through six, by use of classroom observation inventory lists are discussed. The Evaluation of Cognitive Development--Pre-Reading Skills, an observational instrument (teacher completed), was administered to 134 first grade students in a…

The second in a series of manuals on adults with learning disabilities, the booklet covers assessment techniques. The nature of assessment as an ongoing process is stressed, and the role of observation (both systematic and nonsystematic) and interview data are discussed. A seven-step evaluation sequence is proposed, with the major goal of…

Ten 'informal' and ten matched 'comparison' classrooms were observed using the Pupil Activity Scan. Year-end testing indicated no differences in language development, problem solving, fine motor-figural perception, role taking, or understanding of classification, but informal classroom pupils appeared to be lower in reading and mathematics…

Academic achievement of pupils working in small cooperation groups was compared to that of students taught in the traditional whole-class approach. Pupils in grades 2, 4 and 6 from small-group classrooms excelled on high level items; the groups did not differ on items measuring low level cognitive functioning. (Author/GSK)

Results from the first year of a three-year longitudinal study (grades 6-8) of sex-related differences are reported. The purposes of the study are: (1) to understand more adequately the impact of one important cognitive influence (Spatial Visualization) on the learning of mathematics, and (2) to identify educational influences on the development…

A new teacher observation scale is described and teacher ratings are related to measures of self concept and attitude toward school. Different results are obtained when analysis employs change measures of these variables in comparison with status measures. The teaching dimensions of "cognitive demand" and "warmth" seem to be important variables…