Contends that the state of mathematics education is a crucial predictor of future national strength in science and technology and economic competitiveness. Compares the level of mathematics achievement of the United States with other countries. Advocates a national commitment for improvement and includes specific recommendations. (ML)

Describes study designed to investigate the effectiveness of personalizing verbal math problems on division of fractions for fifth and sixth grades using microcomputer-generated lessons. Treatment and control group results are analyzed, and results support the hypothesis that the personalized context group was superior in problem solving and had…

This study of 272 13-year-old science students in England focuses on the effect of varied text and picture content on learning. A criterion-referenced objective items test was used to measure the effect of pictures on students of varying abilities and compare the effectiveness of traditional worksheet presentation and microcomputer presentation.…

In an investigation of Australia's declining rate of college bound students, a social psychological model of academic attainment (linking students' social origins to school experiences, perceptions of others' support, self-assessment, and high schools seniors' aspirations and grades) is applied to the processes used by students in adjusting to…

The high school diploma is no longer the credential for a lifetime and it has not been for decades. Since the 1970s, there has been a growing consensus that training or education beyond high school is necessary to qualify for "family wage" jobs, jobs that pay enough for a family to live reasonably comfortably. Despite this widespread…

Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to study retention and first-semester grade point average at Boise State University (Idaho), a metropolitan university with many commuter students. The quantitative portion of the study was based on questionnaires completed by 235 freshmen; the qualitative part was based on interviews with a…

A study to determine the best predictors of teacher technology use in the classroom was conducted for small rural schools in southeastern Idaho. A 40-item survey was completed by 3,500 teachers in 55 school districts. Results indicated that one third to one half of the teachers never actually used technology for any instructional purpose. Over 70…

The purpose of this study was to find what factors were associated with students' perceptions of learning in online courses. Survey data were collected from students enrolled in 78 courses offered through the SUNY (State University of New York) Learning Network in the fall of 1997. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were employed. The…

Canadian experts in diverse fields as well as people concerned about social justice and cohesion have identified quality child care as a crucial component in addressing a variety of broad societal goals. This study explored the relationships between child care center quality and: center characteristics; teaching staff wages and working conditions;…

This study examined differences in adolescents' levels of autonomy as a function of parenting and parental involvement practices and the adolescents' year-end grade point averages. Participating were 872 adolescents, with a mean age of 14.45 years, attending 5 French-speaking public high schools in Quebec, Canada. Measures were subjects' general…

This report provides data from a survey of a nationally representative sample of more than 2,000 public- and private-school teachers of 4th through 12th grade regarding Internet use by teachers and students. Information is provided about: (1) teachers' access to the Internet; (2) frequency of different Internet uses, including teachers' uses and…

IN 1970, ability tracking of students at one high school was more strongly associated with political beliefs and participation than was students' socioeconomic background. Participation in an alternative school program in 1979 appeared to have the same effects on political attitudes and behavior than ability tracking did in 1970. (Author/MJL)

Data gathered from a national sample of 17-year-old high school students were used to correlate social studies achievement and attitude scores with various constructs previously determined to affect learning. Several significant correlations were found, both positively and negatively affecting learning outcomes. (CJ)

Evaluates the effectiveness of five admission models in predicting student performance in a Masters of Business Administration program. Found the regression model predicts graduate success better than the other models, but none of the models improved upon the admission officer's judgment. (Author/JAC)

Assesses the impact of libraries on one measure of high school reading proficiency, the verbal section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Data on per pupil expenditures, computer software, teacher to student ratio, public library circulation, and books per student in the school library media center were analyzed from all 50 United States and…