Creating an equitable school environment is easier in theory than in practice. This article provides background information to help educators understand the importance of gender issues and offers concrete teaching strategies (in the areas of assessment, curriculum, school climate, and instructional supervision) to minimize gender bias. (17…

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)

Asserts that the Model of Institutions of Excellence (MIE) program encourages institutions of higher education to increase the quantity and quality of students who have been traditionally under-represented in the fields of science, engineering, and math. Includes student perceptions of how technology and federal aid have helped improve their lives…

Offers a rationale for using cooperative learning in higher education, identifying six elements essential to its success: positive interdependence; face-to-face verbal interaction; individual accountability; social skills; group processing; appropriate grouping. Describes and compares three distinct approaches in medicine, dentistry, and…

Describes a faculty-development program designed to change teacher attitudes, behavior, and instruction and, thus, improve the achievement of language-minority students in two New York state secondary schools. Examines challenges to creating and maintaining school structures that promote immigrant students' success and identifies factors that lead…

Describes pilot programs in Appalachian high schools designed to improve math and science instruction through systemic change and higher standards. Strategies include using videoconferencing for professional development, incorporating employers' expectations into curricula, bridging gaps between academic and vocational programs, integrating…

A discussion of why Asian students rank high on international assessment tests in science and mathematics reveals that Asian schools stress rote memorization and test taking to the extent that children don't have the opportunity to be children. The U.S. educational system's encouragement of critical thinking and nonacademic activities contributes…

Presents a collection of computer software programs designed to spark learning enthusiasm at every grade level and across the curriculum. They include Reader Rabbit's Learn to Read, Spelling Power, Mind Twister Math, Community Construction Kit, Breaking the Code, Encarta Africana 2000, Virtual Serengeti, Operation: Frog (Deluxe), and My First…

Examined the flow out of and into science, mathematics, and engineering (SME) majors among African American, American Indian, and Hispanic students, noting persistence-related factors. Student surveys indicated that these groups experienced greater attrition from SME majors than did whites and Asian Americans. Person-oriented fit and peer values…

Examination of gender differences in self-efficacy, attitudes toward mathematics, and achievement of 48 gifted 7th and 8th grade students after participating in a 2-week course on probability and statistics found no differences in achievement or self-efficacy between cooperative learning mixed gender or single gender groups. Differences in…

This study examined associations between multiple parental behaviors and children's participation in out-of-school math, science, and computer activities for children in 2nd (n = 125), 3rd (n = 123), and 5th grade (n = 200). Mothers and fathers reported how often they encouraged their children's activities, participated in activities with their…

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…

Through a rigorous process of selecting educational psychology's most useful affective constructs, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) constructed the Students' Approaches to Learning (SAL) instrument, which requires only 10 min to measure 14 factors that assess self-regulated learning strategies, self-beliefs,…

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This March 4, 2005 issue of "Chronicle of Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "Advanced Symptoms of Advanced Degrees" (Douglas, Lawrence; George,…

Analyzes unique within district variations in spending and achievement among urban public elementary schools (n=89). Reveals considerable disparities in spending linked to local patterns of racial and class stratification and concentration. Shows how these local driven inequalities have consequences for achievement in reading, writing,…