In the 50 years since "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka" formally desegregated public schools, there has been enormous progress in the academic success of African Americans, particularly in high school completion, improved test scores, increased college enrollment, and attainment of advanced degrees, as well as full access to and…

Using data on 11,000 graduate students from 100 departments over a 20 year period, I test whether graduate student outcomes (graduation rates, time to degree, publication success, and initial job placement) differ based on a student's gender and marital status. I find that married men have better outcomes across every measure than single men.…

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Taking Care of Novice Teachers: Researchers Suggest How Administrators Can Keep Their Newer Teachers Teaching and Maintain a First-Rate Faculty (Reino Makkonen); (2) Assessing…

Since 1915, when the Americanization "movement" came into being, the American people have joined dozens of Americanization societies, listened to hundreds of people who declaimed Americanization, and read thousands of dissertations, wise and otherwise, on the same theme. For several years past, Americanization movements have been…

In this paper, the following key questions will be examined. What is distinctive about cooperative learning, which makes it different from just groupwork? What has research found about the effectiveness of cooperative learning in promoting thinking? What conditions in cooperative learning help promote thinking? What theoretical perspectives…

This paper describes the various ways in which the SAT has evolved since its introduction in 1926. Some of the modifications have involved changes in the types of questions used to measure verbal and mathematical skills. Other modifications focused on liberalizing time limits to ensure that speed of responding to questions has minimal effect on…

The scientist and mathematician of tomorrow will come from the high school students of today. It is important to appraise this source of the future scientific manpower from time to time, both to note the trends and to judge the effectiveness of the efforts being made to bolster the defense, security and future welfare of the Nation through the…

In January 2005, the National Education Association (NEA) partnered with the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) to host the National Summit on Asian and Pacific Islander Issues in Education. The Summit brought together over 50 researchers, leaders of national organizations, and NEA members to discuss the status of…

This study aims to compare and contrast the perspectives of preservice teachers and instructors on the "Computer Education and Instructional Technology (CEIT)" department. A questionnaire which was developed from the ideas of CEIT faculty members in the "The Results of Re-Designing the Teacher Education Curricula of the Faculties of…

The effect of higher education on the self-esteem and values of male and female college students was studied. Trends over the last decade in freshman self-ratings and goals, individual changes in these two variables, and the impact of various college environmental characteristics on these changes are discussed. (Author/MLW)

Observers identified four types of behavior in junior high school students: good, outgoing, rebellious, and withdrawn. Results were compared with behavior patterns found in first-grade students, and similar findings emerged. Questions are raised about how student roles are established and whether teaching affects them. (Authors/PP)

Using a theoretical model which examines three essential features thought to influence student attitudes (teacher, students, learning environment), the relationship between these features at three grade levels (4th--N=649, 7th--N=630, 9th--N=686) was investigated. Correlational/regression analyses, conclusions, and implications are reported.…

Results from meta-analysis of studies on student attitudes toward science are discussed. Includes description of meta-analysis techniques, discussion of attitudes toward science (with a proposed definition), a theoretical framework for studying attitudes which provides a structure for synthesis studies, and recommendations, including those related…

Grade level and sex differences in attitudes to English, mathematics, social studies and art were explored among a sample of students in grades 7 through 10. Student attitudes generally were most favorable toward English, then toward mathematics, social studies, and (least favorable) art. (Author/MLW)

Middle school practices should reflect research showing how students entering adolescence, at 10-14 years of age, are different from other children. Middle school students are changing physically, intellectually, and emotionally. Schools should emphasize: (1) active learning experiences; (2) student-centered methods; (3) recognition of individual…