Examines shared education perceptions regarding school effectiveness; expansion, operation, resources, test scores, and the role of schools in education. Questions traditional beliefs regarding school size and educational quality. Introduces new ideas created by innovation and reform. Examines rural education, employment and economic development…

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)

Describes a follow-up study that examined results of adopting the Teaching and Learning with Computers approach in a small rural school district. Use of the Jostens Learning Corporation integrated curriculum is explained, and evaluations of Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills results that show changes in scale scores and comparisons with national…

Profiles African-American students scoring above 600 on mathematics and verbal Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) sections. The following were examined for 334 students in 1981, 465 in 1985, and 695 in 1988: (1) students' academic experiences; (2) family backgrounds; (3) goals and expectations; and (4) anticipated needs in college. (SLD)

A 25-item Likert-type survey constructed to measure teachers' attitudes toward mainstreaming was analyzed using item response theory (IRT) and confirmatory factor analysis with responses of 917 Canadian teachers. A three-factor model fit the data well. Both factor scores and IRT scores can be used in discriminant analyses. (SLD)

Public school enrollment is increasing, especially among minority students. Preschool attendance is up. The number of elementary schools has lagged behind enrollment and school size. Teacher numbers and salaries have risen since the 1980s. Local school revenues are surpassing state government revenues. The national per pupil expenditure rate is…

Performance of students of different ethnic backgrounds was studied as they progressed through a traditional academic curriculum. Data from 328 male and 304 female graduates of a Hawaiian laboratory school between 1975 and 1986 demonstrate familiar patterns of ethnic differences in school achievement. Implications for multiethnic societies are…

Experience with student outcomes assessment in the Florida state university system suggests that precollegiate interventions, including raising admission and retention standards, can improve minority success in college. The more demanding policies have focused on the skill levels needed for academic success and on the need for college-preparatory…

Effects of the policy of mandated busing for integration on overall achievement test scores of African-American children were studied with 434 elementary school students in Norfolk (Virginia). Achievement test scores declined after the elimination of mandated busing. School characteristics explained 9% of the variance in scores for all students.…

Studied gender differences in answers to constructed-response mathematics items on approximately 500 papers from grades 7 and 10 from the Kansas Assessment Program. Rubric-relevant variables were highly predictive of holistic scores and accounted for some of the gender differences, especially in grade 7. (SLD)

A study compared the performance on a national licensing examination of University of Southern California dental students in problem-based learning (PBL) versus those in conventional educational tracks. PBL track students scored significantly higher in all four discipline-based portions of the exam and also in the aggregate, and scored well in…

The goal of this study was to assess the impact of peer education and single-session educational lectures on HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitude change among university students (n = 157 male, n = 230 female; mean age = 20) on the campuses of two metropolitan state universities in Ankara, Turkey. The students were randomly selected to participate in…

This article describes the results of a three-year investigation into cheating by school personnel. The goals of this research were to measure the prevalence of cheating by teachers and administrators and to analyze the factors that predict cheating. Using data on test scores and student records from the Chicago Public Schools, the authors…

Supporters believe that the flexibility granted these new public schools allows them to be more innovative and responsive to student needs than traditional public schools are. But do students in charter schools learn more than their counterparts in traditional public schools? In order to answer this question, the authors have analyzed established…

Gender gaps in educational outcomes are a matter of real and growing concern. It has been known for a long time, since the 1970s, that girls outscore boys in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading tests, while boys tend to outperform girls in math and science. Boys are increasingly less likely than girls to attend college…