The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an assessment of reading comprehension of nine-year-olds in 35 countries and was conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). This report compares findings from the United States with other countries and takes a closer look at…

This study addresses the factors of Graduate Record Examination scores (GRE), race, gender, and undergraduate grade point average (GPA) as predictors of principal certification examination success at a large urban university. The university has three programs that lead to a masters degree and principal certification. The regular program consists…

This study investigated the effects of maternal employment on beliefs and attitudes of suburban and urban middle school students in addition to their comparative levels of self-esteem. A 5-part survey, including demographic information, beliefs about consequences of maternal employment of children; information about the mother's work status;…

Inclusion of students with disabilities into schools is mandated by law, but inclusion programs are often overlaid onto the school much as pieces of fabric are appliqued onto a preexisting cloth. Few programs have succeeded in interweaving inclusion into the tapestry of the school. Since research has shown a connection between inclusion and the…

A study examined student perceptions of the school environment in a small, rural high school in southeastern North Carolina. Surveys returned by 417 students in grades 9-12 suggested that the presence of gangs and unsafe or hidden areas were not major problems. The fact that 46 percent indicated that vandalism was a problem suggests that vandalism…

The Upward Bound program seeks to promote high school completion and college attendance of high school students who come from low-income families or have parents who did not complete college. Specifically, Upward Bound projects provide academic instruction, career planning, and college application services, during the regular school year and…

Many administrators and full-time faculty regard adjuncts or part-time faculty as "fringe elements," the "have-nots," the "homeless" of the academic world, or worst of all as "invisible necessities." Adjuncts at the University of West Florida (UWF) are not listed in any campus directory, nor are they invited…

A total of 343 first-year, African-American students at the University of Maryland College Park completed a questionnaire on a variety of topics including career and advising issues to determine the career needs and interests of these students. The reasons African-American students most often reported for going to college were to get a better job…

This study examined the effects of course level, class size, and instructor gender on student ratings of teacher performance at the National Hualien Teachers College in Taiwan. A total of 9,843 usable evaluation forms were completed for 440 courses (96 freshmen-level, 142 sophomore-level, 119 junior-level, and 83 senior-level) taught by 132…

Teenagers need straight talk about sex, yet many teens are reluctant to discuss sex and love with their parents or other adults. Answers to many of their questions are provided in this book. The text draws on the actual questions that high school students have asked about sex, anatomy, love, and other related issues. The book is divided into 12…

This pilot study examined the career self-efficacy of 75 college students (40 with disabilities and 35 without disabilities) using the Career Decision Making Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (CDMSE-SF) and semi-structured interviews. Career self-efficacy was defined as the belief that an individual can accomplish his/her career goals. Results…

This study compared the academic progress of children who had been recommended for and attended a Readiness program with those children whose parents had declined the Readiness program placement for their children. Participating were 215 students chosen over an 11 year period who had been recommended for a Readiness program and a comparison group…

This is the fourth in a series of technical reports that have dealt with issues surrounding the possibility of national value-added systems for primary schools in England. The main focus has been on the relative progress made by students between the ends of Key Stage 1 (KS1) and Key Stage 2 (KS2). The analysis has indicated that the strength of…

A study was conducted to determine whether chess instruction would change the measure of a student's field-dependence or field-independence as determined by the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) in the direction of stronger field independence. Field dependence/independence is a psychological construct referring to a global versus an analytical…

A study surveyed 1,091 students admitted to Atkinson College for Fall 1993 to determine the outcomes new adult students expected from their university experience and the degree to which desired outcomes varied by gender and visible minority status. Analysis of responses showed the following: knowledge acquisition and career advancement were the…