One factor which limits efforts to increase the number of black health professionals is performance in science courses at the college level. This study is one of several designed to identify factors which lead to success in the sciences at Xavier University of Louisiana, a small, historically black institution in New Orleans. The current…

This policy brief takes a close look at the ways in which the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)-1995 and TIMSS-1999 data have helped to inform changes in policy and practice as schools, districts, and states respond to the call for improvement in mathematics and science achievement. This policy brief is based primarily on…

The Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program is an effort sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that targets large urban school systems with the goal of sustainable implementation of high-quality, standards-based teaching for the purpose of attaining system-wide increases in students' learning of challenging mathematics and science.…

Twelve articles present excerpts from several national reports of countries participating on the Second International Science Study (SISS) of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. The SISS examined science achievement and its correlates in participating countries and studied trends from 1970 through the…

In both France and England, students scored in the middle-to-high ranks on the International Assessment of Educational Progress, with large gaps between low and high achievers. Despite attempts to democratize education, educational achievement in both countries continues to be strongly linked to parents' social background, with limited access to…

Compared teaching senior secondary school biology students (n=147) with concept mapping alone; with concept mapping in conjunction with cooperative-learning groups; and with lecture/demonstration methods. Groups utilizing concept mapping with cooperative learning scored significantly higher other groups. (Contains 18 references.) (MDH)

Examined Australian year-10 students (n=110) for the effects of an instructional sequence in physics on their subsequent physics achievement and their perceived value of instruction aimed at conceptual change in year 11. An appendix outlines the year-10 instruction. (Contains 24 references.) (MDH)

This study addresses the need for research in three areas: (1) teachers' understandings of scientific inquiry; (2) conceptual understandings of evolutionary processes; and (3) technology-enhanced instruction using an inquiry approach. The purpose of this study was to determine in what ways "The Galapagos Finches" software-based materials created a…

The activity uses drawings typically found in textbooks, engaging students in physical and mental activities such as drawing, painting and figure completion--as well as finding missing words and answering guiding questions. The activity deals with three topics: the structure of DNA, DNA replication and protein synthesis. In this study we…

Educators who thoroughly investigate data, raise questions, examine student learning, test their hypotheses, and then share their findings are mirroring effective math and science instruction. Using collaborative inquiry, data teams can help improve teacher knowledge and help teachers change their practice in ways that will enhance student…

This standards review is the second in a series of annual reviews of the Colorado Model Content Standards. Its purpose is to identify student performance over time on measures of existing science standards, identify ways to affirm and strengthen standards and more clearly articulate the practices used by Colorado schools to promote student…

Recent international studies note that countries whose students perform well on international science assessments report the need to change science education. Some countries use assessments for diagnostic purposes to assist teachers in addressing their students' needs. However, in the United States, standards-based reform has focused the national…

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, along with other Central and Eastern European countries, began a transition towards a democratic political system and market-oriented economy. Socio-economic and political changes associated with this transition have created a growing need for a new kind of citizenry, one equipped with flexible…

This paper, which considers effective science teaching and learning for limited English proficient (LEP) students in U.S. schools, is based on the assumption that science and English language can be effectively learned together without excessive emphasis on students' native language, although teachers and aides who have knowledge of LEP students'…

Two institutions initiated a long-term National Child Care Research Program in 1990. The program has two components: (1) examining the comprehensiveness of services offered by licensed center-based child care; and (2) documenting the development of children in licensed center-based child care. This publication reports the results of the first…