The purpose of this study was to explore whether PreK-5 teacher perception of their unconscious bias impacted student achievement levels in Title I schools of varying performance levels. To achieve the overall outcome, this quantitative study was guided by the following research questions: (1) To what extent is there a statistically significant…

Urban high schools are in trouble--high dropout rates, low student academic achievement, and graduates who are unprepared for college are just some of the disappointing indicators. However, recent research points to a select number of approaches to improving student outcomes and reforming underperforming schools--from particular ways of creating…

The author discusses the boarding school model as a schooling alternative to improve life chances for disadvantaged youth, particularly African American youth, by positively meeting their social and educational needs. Bourdieu, Coleman, and other social scientists purported that these needs can be better met by exposing students to social and…

The purpose of this study was to compare the cognitive processing profiles of school-age children (ages 7 to 17) who met criteria for underachievement in oral reading accuracy based on three different methods: 1) use of a regression-based IQ-achievement discrepancy only (REGonly), 2) use of a low-achievement cutoff only (LAonly), and 3) use of a…

The nation's largest school districts have increasingly turned to building closures to address budget deficits, demographic shifts, and the movement of students to charter schools. Over the past decade, 70 large or mid-sized cities closed schools--averaging 11 buildings per closure. This trend shows no signs of slowing. Washington, D.C. closed 23…

Most high school reform efforts understandably focus on boosting the success of low-income students who are underachieving academically, but in every school district where students struggle, there are academically capable low-income and minority students who do graduate prepared for college. Yet each year, many of these students choose to attend…

Our objective is to provide two multidimensional models (i.e., contextual-interaction and Ethnic Educator) including sociopolitical, socioeconomic, sociocultural, and sociohistorical factors explaining underachievement in Latinos. First, we critically discuss single-factor theories (i.e., deficit, resistance, social reproduction, cultural…

This article describes the design and implementation of external support to low-performing schools using data from Chicago and California. Using the literature on external support, instructional capacity, and policy strength, the study gathered data from interviews, observations, document review, and surveys. The findings suggest that the model of…

Through case studies of 10 elementary schools in Chicago, this article examines principal leadership in low-performing schools. The data include 331 interviews with teachers, administrators, external partners, and others over a 2-year period. Using transformational leadership as a lens, we found that principals in schools that moved off probation…

In this report, the authors look at the freshman year course performance of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students who receive special education services and ask whether grades, course failures, absences, and on-track status are useful for identifying students who are at risk of dropping out. They also examine how academic behaviors, such as…

A METHOD OF "PRINCIPAL ACTOR ROLE" CLASSIFICATION WAS USED TO EXAMINE THE INTERACTION OF A GROUP OF BRIGHT, UNDERACHIEVING FIFTH GRADERS. IN THIS METHOD, THE PERSON WHO IS THE CENTER OF THE GROUP'S ATTENTION AT ANY GIVEN TIME (EITHER BY TALKING OR BY NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR) IS TERMED THE "PRINCIPAL ACTOR." OBSERVERS CLASSIFY THE…

The document contains a review of the literature on screening for learning disabilities; a report of a Macomb, Illinois, study testing the Myklebust Learning Quotient method of identifying learning disabilities; and guidelines for learning disability eligibility screening in the Macomb schools. In the introduction, characteristics of the learning…

THE RELATIONSHIP OF CERTAIN VARIABLES WITH THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF PUPILS OF SUPERIOR INTELLECTUAL ABILITY WAS PRESENTED. THE HYPOTHESIS USED WAS THAT HIGH ACHIEVING ACADEMICALLY GIFTED PUPILS COMPARED TO LOW ACHIEVING ACADEMICALLY GIFTED PUPILS RECEIVED THE BENEFIT OF MORE FAVORABLE PARENTAL ATTITUDES. THE PUPILS PERCEIVED THEMSELVES AS MORE…

NONINTELLECTIVE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN COLLEGE WERE INVESTIGATED IN THREE PHASES OF RESEARCH--(1) PERSONALITY AND MOTIVATIONAL CORRELATES OF ACADEMIC APTITUDE AND PERFORMANCE AMONG STUDENTS WHO HAD COMPLETED AT LEAST 1 YEAR OF COLLEGE WERE EXAMINED, (2) DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM FRESHMAN STUDENTS BEFORE THEY ENTERED…

IN A 10 YEAR STUDY OF 1,200 CHILDREN LIVING IN A MIDWESTERN CITY, IT WAS FOUND THAT THOSE FROM DEPRIVED BACKGROUNDS MISSED ABOUT THREE TIMES AS MANY DAYS OF SCHOOL AS THEIR CLASSMATES FROM UPPER-MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILIES. REASONS FOR THIS SITUATION WERE POOR DIET, UNCARED-FOR ILLNESSES AND ACCIDENTS. ALSO THE FEELINGS THAT CHILD HAD ABOUT HIMSELF…