Computerized adaptive testing is subject to security problems, as the item bank content remains operative over long periods and administration time is flexible for examinees. Spreading the content of a part of the item bank could lead to an overestimation of the examinees' trait level. The most common way of reducing this risk is to impose a…

This article investigates enrolment trends in mathematical sciences in Australian universities. Data has been difficult to extract and the coding for mathematical disciplines has made investigation challenging. We show that the number of mathematics major undergraduates in Australia is steadily declining though the number studying…

Written language is a complex set of skills that facilitate communication and that are developed in a predictable sequence. It is therefore possible to analyze current skills, identify deficits, plan interventions, and determine the effectiveness of the intervention. To effectively accomplish these tasks, educators need to choose appropriate…

This paper examines the relationships between interests and subject choice in senior secondary schooling, and between interests and occupational choices. Career interest results (N = 7477) were obtained from the "Career Interest Test" ("Version 3.1") administered on the Federal Government's "My Future" website…

If you meet with almost any group of school administrators and ask them what the most critical factor in improving schools and increasing student achievement, they would most likely say having an outstanding faculty is the key. Common wisdom among principals is that nothing is more important to the overall success of the school than selecting…

This article explores the future of teacher labor markets. The authors find that teacher hiring needs will rise over the coming decade largely because of retirements. However, this increase will not be significantly different from that of past decades. (Contains 7 notes and 3 figures.)

A teenager's future starts on 9th grade with the safe and welcoming environment, excellent teachers, and challenging instruction provided at this school. Believe it or not, college begins in 9th grade. If parents dream of their son or daughter going to college, they should not put off planning until their junior or senior year in high school--it…

The purpose of this article is to provide the necessary tools for institutional researchers to conduct a logistic regression analysis and interpret the results. Aspects of the logistic regression procedure that are necessary to evaluate models are presented and discussed with an emphasis on cutoff values and choosing the appropriate number of…

Interesting texts, defined as texts about which students possess background knowledge relevant to their lives, have an impact on both motivation to read and comprehension. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were texts that represented Appalachia. Content analysis was used in this study to examine fifty-two children's realistic…

This paper compares children's books that were written for Muslim, Jewish and Christian children. The speech and behavior of the characters, the settings, themes, prayers, and references to G-d and scripture, make present to the reader ideologies on which the books are based. The books share characteristics of the importance of community, family…

There has been an increase in the number of online universities, degrees, and coursework over the last decade. Institutions of higher learning are beginning to embrace online instruction more than ever before. However, the motives behind enrollment and the benefits of online instruction have not always been clearly understood. The purpose of this…

Many college courses have historically been associated with large amounts of reading. For example, many biology courses required students to read trade books such as Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" (Carson, 1962), or James Watson's "The Double Helix" (Watson, 1980), but now most instructors elect to focus students' reading on course textbooks and…

School administrators don't usually consider hiring a certified athletic trainer for managing the medical issues that arise from students' participation in athletics, perhaps because they believe it would be too expensive to hire someone solely to manage injury and illness for just a portion of the students. Since it is important to provide…

Schools in the United States are more culturally diverse than ever before, and this trend is expected to continue. One way to prevent conflicts related to differences in ethnic, racial, or religious background is by using culturally sensitive children's books. In this article, the authors discuss the need of culturally sensitive children's books…

This paper reports the findings of a study of Multiple Modes of Delivery in Australian universities that was commissioned by Australian Universities Teaching Committee over the period 2001-2004. The project examined and described the various means of educational delivery deployed by Australian universities. It identified the pedagogical,…