A meta-analysis compared the academic achievement of students (grades 6-12) who received traditional instruction or traditional instruction supplemented with computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in science, reading, music, special education, social studies, math, vocational education, and English. The study determined that students receiving…

States that science and technology research reached a new level of exposure in the U.S. government in 1997, particularly environmental science, cloning, international cooperation on the International Space Station, and information technologies. Lawmakers introduced research legislation and the House Science Committee launched a science policy…

Uses the biography and work of M. C. Escher to introduce a unit on art history. Tells about Escher's influence not only on artists, but also on mathematicians and physicists. Outlines a student project in which students employed one of these themes: impossible geometry, rotating symmetry, or geometry. (DSK)

Early 21st-century jobs will be predominantly in the service area; only 20% will require high-level cognitive skills. Curriculum goals and standards should not serve the job market, but should foster humanistic ends and involve students in compelling social, political, environmental, and artistic issues. Higher standards are unattainable without…

The problem-solving performance of high-achieving (HA) and low-achieving (LA) 11th-grade students was compared during solution of geometry problems using a think-aloud procedure. Detailed analysis of problem-solving protocols indicated that HA students not only accessed a greater body of geometrical knowledge but also used that knowledge more…

Describes a project that surveyed a stratified sample of college seniors who took the Graduate Record Examinations General Test in 1990 and who were majoring in natural sciences, mathematics, computer sciences, and engineering. Women earned lower test scores than men and rated many of their abilities lower. Differences among ethnic groups were…

Describes how the author, a third-grade teacher, deals with the challenges of teaching within a school-based reform package. Describes how she finds ways of satisfying the required number of minutes of reading, math, and science instruction without sacrificing what she knows about what works for her students and their learning. Discusses pros and…

Examined the impact of a bi-generational mathematics intervention with Head Start families in two studies. Found that intervention children developed more extensive mathematical knowledge than a comparison group of low-income children. Low-income parents were willing and able to support the children's mathematical development once trained to do…

Examined the performance of K-12 students on criterion-referenced reading, language arts, and mathematics tests and the relationship of those results to teacher performance measures by principals, students, and teacher self-evaluations using a 360 degree feedback approach. Results for 988 students, 35 teachers, and 4 principals show that student…

Tracked a cohort of preservice teachers to determine the effects of coursework and experiences on efficacy and knowledge of mathematics and assessment reforms and extent to which classroom practices aligned with knowledge of reforms. Pre- and post-course and post-internship evaluations indicated that sense of efficacy and classroom practices did…

Explores variations among states in the relationships of students' educational attainment with family backgrounds, eighth-grade course placements, and high school teachers' assessments of students' academic potential. Focuses on whether states' mandatory testing policies are associated with differences in students' attainment as measured by…

A Sacramento County district successfully combines rigorous standards with civic values and service learning, requires both algebra and geometry, and helps students pass the high school exit exam. The community has been involved in raising standards and developing accelerated learning programs at all 29 elementary schools. (MLH)

Examined the effect sizes associated with mean differences in performance on the Second International Assessment of Educational Progress (IAEP2) and the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) administered in 1995. Largest differences were associated with the performance of students in France, Ireland, and Switzerland. Proposes…

Argues that test score rankings provide little information about educational quality because countries differ substantially in factors such as student selectivity, curriculum emphasis, and the proportion of low-income students in the test-taking population. (DDR)

Compared pre-service elementary teachers' beliefs about mathematics and science teaching before and after immersion in an integrated, spiral-based, inquiry approach within a mathematics and science methods course. Results highlighted: the importance of the teacher's role; use of methods, strategies, and styles; use of manipulatives and materials;…