This study set out to answer the question, "What are the components of high school courses that prepare students for successful entry into postsecondary education without the need for remediation?" Ten schools were identified where, in 2001 and 2002, students achieved scores on the ACT Assessment that made it likely they would succeed in…

The American Diploma Project, an influential consortium that includes Achieve, Inc., The Education Trust, and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation believes that expectations about what youngsters learn in high school must be raised dramatically. According to the group, "the diploma has lost its value because what it takes to earn one is disconnected…

Because research has found that many students experience science as fragmented, this study examined the impact of modeling by science teachers during faculty development programs on participants' subsequent classroom instruction and on their students' science achievement and motivation. In two programs, liberal arts college science professors…

The Comprehensive Partnerships for Mathematics and Science Achievement (CPMSA) is a National Science Foundation program launched in 1993, designed to improve the mathematics and science education of urban students in medium-sized cities. The goals of the program, in addition to increased enrollments in mathematics and science classes, were to…

The 1998 High Schools That Work (HSTW) Assessment report contains good news for HSTW sites in the Appalachian Regional Commission area and provides information on specific practices that need improvement. This research brief summarizes the report's findings. Based on 196 schools in 9 Appalachian states, the report shows that school, district, and…

Congress is taking an active role in understanding and responding to the underlying problems that confront America's competitiveness in the global economy. During the 109th congressional session, legislation has been introduced addressing the importance of mathematics and science in the global economy. The Senate's Protecting America's Competitive…

This May 2004 issue of "Outlook," a monthly publication published by the Council for American Private Education (CAPE), describes the findings of the 2000 High School Transcript Study (HSTS), which examined the transcripts of 19,747 public school students and 1,184 private school students in order to provide a comprehensive look at the high school…

Schools that become part of the "Making Middle Grades Work" network are expected to use the middle grades comprehensive improvement framework to show progress in changing school and classroom practices in ways that advance student achievement. True school reform is not a quick process. It is a continuous effort to make purposeful and planned…

This report reviews 75 high schools in the "High Schools that Work" (HSTW) network that made statistically significant gains in at least two of three areas reading, mathematics and science--between 2002 and 2004 on the "HSTW" Assessments. In these schools, all groups of students improved achievement--regardless of race, ethnicity or socioeconomic…

The effects of classroom assessment environment (CAE) variables on yearly achievement in mathematics and science in grades 7 through 12 were studied through the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY), using cohorts of approximately 3,000 students each in the 7th and 10th grades who were followed for 4 years. While the LSAY did not include all…

The Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico-Rural Systemic Initiative (UCAN-RSI) supports systemic improvement in science, technology, and mathematics education for all rural students in the four states, focusing on schools that enroll large numbers of American Indian and Hispanic students. This document contains a report on UCAN's 4th year (September…

The aim of this study was to look at the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) data for 10th graders from 1998 and investigate whether these differences were significant when using the mathematics and science achievement scores. In addition, the variables of socioeconomic status, gender, and types of courses taken in mathematics and…

These summary tables focus on the state-by-state academic achievement of African American, Hispanic American, American Indian, Asian American, and white students. Data are presented on achievement gains by state (4th grade reading scale scores, 1992-1998; 8th grade science and scale scores, 1996-2000; 4th grade math scale scores, 1992-2000; and…

The Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program is an effort sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that targets large urban school systems with the goal of sustainable implementation of high-quality, standards-based teaching for the purpose of attaining system-wide increases in students' learning of challenging mathematics and science.…

This document presents the framework and rationale for assessing the science achievement of students throughout the United States in 1996 and 2000. A general overview of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the NAEP Science Framework adopted by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) is provided. The process by which…