In this article, the authors who are an interdisciplinary team of middle school educators collaboratively developed and implemented an interdisciplinary unit designed to help middle school students: (1) think like mathematicians and scientists; (2) develop specific areas of expertise in math and science; and (3) use literature as a tool to learn…

Academic selectivity plays a dominant role in the public's understanding of what constitutes institutional excellence or quality in undergraduate education. In this study, we analyzed two independent data sets to estimate the net effect of three measures of college selectivity on dimensions of documented good practices in undergraduate education.…

Principals in the information age need to be information driven, committed to shared leadership and relentless about continuous improvement. They must reshape the processes, norms, and behaviors of teaching and learning around aggregating and interpreting shared information. In this article, the authors discuss the role of a principal in shaping…

This laboratory exercise introduces students to a fundamental tool in evolutionary biology--phylogenetic inference. Students are required to create a data set via observation and through mining preexisting data sets. These student data sets are then used to develop and compare competing hypotheses of vertebrate phylogeny. The exercise uses readily…

Validation of a classroom observation measure for use with English Learners (ELs) in grade 1 was the focus of this study. Fourteen teachers were observed during reading and language arts instruction with an instrument used to generate ratings of instructional quality on a number of dimensions. In these classrooms we assessed the reading…

The 9th International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM 2016) is held under the auspices of the International Educational Data Mining Society at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel, in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, in the USA. The conference, held June 29-July 2, 2016, follows the eight previous editions (Madrid 2015, London 2014, Memphis…

This monograph critiques the many nonexperimental impact estimation approaches that have been based on external comparison groups. It proposes an approach to evaluating employment and training (E&T) programs that calls for using the group of individuals who apply to a program but then choose not to participate in that program as an…

An analysis was done of the quality of the data supplied by respondents to the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, 1987 (NPSAS:87). The NPSAS:87 was a large-scale survey that obtained extensive data on the educational, demographic, and financial aspects of postsecondary students and their parents. The study compared the responses to similar…

To increase attendance rates and to decrease dropout rates in New York State, the state legislature established the Attendance Improvement and Dropout Prevention Program in 1984. The State Office of the Comptroller audited the State Department of Education's administration of the program from July 1, 1992 through April 30, 1994. The Comptroller's…

The structure and validity of Guglielmino's Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) have been examined repeatedly. In 1979, Mourad and Torrance investigated the construct validity of the SDLRS in a study involving a random sample of 684 of the 1,500 students enrolled in the University of Georgia's Program on Gifted/Talented Education. In…

This book argues that all school efforts should be focused on results. It elaborates on the simple conditions that favor results, briefly discusses the theory behind the conditions, and demonstrates, using examples from schools, how other schools can begin to successfully replicate the conditions. Following the introduction, chapters 1-3 describe…

This study examines the effect of cooperative versus individual learning strategies and the need for affiliation on achievement, attitude, and student interactions when receiving instructional television lessons. Subjects (n=126) were undergraduate education majors enrolled in a required course in educational psychology. Subjects classified as…

This kit contains observation matrices for on-going assessment and end of the year evaluation for grades 1 through 8. Each matrix is divided into the areas of numeration, geometry, patterns, measurement, problem solving, data, and computation. Performance indicators indicate four levels of proficiency where Level I indicates minimal performance…

A common theme in current school reform efforts is that teachers within schools must become reflective practitioners if they are to become more successful in improving instruction to meet the needs of increasingly diverse populations. In an effort to help schools promote district-level reflection about instructional improvement, Boston College's…

This evaluation of the information dissemination program of the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) uses a inclusive approach to gather, analyze, and report information to help decision makers. Results of three questionnaires, reviews and analyses of CRESST products, and Internet records were used to…