Demonstrates that socio-economic factors such as family background are important in determining student achievement, but are reinforced by factors such as teaching and learning resources. Presents a study of student achievement in mathematics and science related to parental education and occupation and to type of school. (LS)

Survey responses of faculty in six graduate study fields and undergraduate English faculty identified nine listening skills that they perceived as particularly important to academic success in lecture classes. Faculty believed that non-native English speakers had greater difficulty with listening activities. Research suggestions are presented…

The process of developing a medical school applicant interview that focuses on nonacademic student attributes is described. Monash University (Australia) looked at four personal attributes in evaluating applicants for undergraduate medical education: (1) quality of motivation; (2) appropriateness of cognitive style; (3) appropriateness of…

Contends that few educational issues rival the California Learning Assessment System (CLAS) for comment, controversy, and confrontation. Defines the CLAS test and discusses its characteristics, anticipated student responses, and scoring procedures. Outlines four implications for instructional methods. (CFR)

Founded in 1968, the Transitional Year Program at Brandeis University (Massachusetts) continues to offer intensive remedial math and English for students who might not be admitted to college otherwise. The tuition-free program has been highly successful in turning mediocre high school performance into college achievement. Most participants are…

Describes two main groups of home schoolers, "ideological" and "pedagogical." Highlights include a family's success with nondirective teaching; teaching styles; religious factors; the social impact; research results about use of public libraries; and 12 suggestions of how libraries can serve home schoolers information needs.…

As part of its "Youth-at-Risk" initiative, the national Cooperative Extension System assisted communities across the nation in setting up school-age child care (SACC) programs that provide after-school care to at-risk students. Evaluation of 31 SACC programs in California revealed increased prosocial behavior, decreased problem behavior,…

Studied whether there are trends in how college admission officers are using the Enhanced ACT Assessment (ACT) or the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT I), particularly when a student submits both. Found 93% of respondents were satisfied with either test. Methods of emphasizing or combining a test's scores varied significantly by state. (JBJ)

A course in academic writing for international graduate students at Flinders University of South Australia was found to enhance students' written expression and structure. However, participants continued to produce high error rates in grammar and show weakness in developing an argument. Journal entries suggest participants began with…

Discussion of hypermedia-based instruction focuses on studies of eighth-grade junior high school students that investigated differences in cognitive style during information-seeking behavior and learning, the effect of social context (collaborative versus individual study), and the effects of magnet school students' self-regulation of study time.…

Studies of the mathematics assessments of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are summarized. One study found that omit rates for NAEP test items were higher for African Americans and Hispanics than for whites. The other found that descriptions and examples for the 1992 mathematics achievement levels were misleading. (SLD)

Examined culturally based differences in the perceptions of causal attributions for athletic achievement in Germany and China. Results show that the Chinese perceive success and failure to be more internal and controllable than the Germans. This result is discussed from the perspective of traditional Chinese culture and from today's social…

Examines Project IMPACT, a school-based teacher enhancement model for elementary mathematics instruction designed to improve student performance and support teacher change in predominately minority schools. Comparative data show IMPACT schools having significantly higher mathematics achievement scores that are persistent over time. Instructional…

Describes a culturally relevant Spanish program in a high school that helped native speakers avoid failure due to culturally inappropriate teaching. The class maintained Latino students' native language and increased language fluency by developing thinking, oral, and written Spanish skills. Eventually, students previously labeled "at…

Explored relationships between middle school students' writing processes and their written products. Results suggest that students need to engage in a variety of writing tasks; teachers must be aware of the complexity involved in composing to assess progress; editing must be kept in its proper perspective; and teachers should recognize that…