Focuses on the deep understanding conveyed in two books (Mike Rose's "Lives on the Boundary" and J. Elspeth Stuckey's "The Violence of Literacy") of exactly what is at stake in the literary crisis and how literacy is used to ratify the status quo. Considers their different, but complementary, suggestions about what writing…

As implemented at the University of Edinburgh, Second Chance to Learn targets adults who have left school and are unemployed or are unskilled or semiskilled workers. It seeks to attract nonparticipants in approachable, community-based settings. (SK)

Focuses on a recent study conducted on the incidence of illiteracy in specific disadvantaged communities in Sri Lanka. Indicates that in the present era of technological advancement, lack of literacy will continue to affect the life-chances of people in these communities. Policy issues are also discussed. Contains 20 references and 11 tables. (AMA)

Describes several prominent early grades small-class-size projects and their effects on student achievement: Indiana's Project Prime Time, Tennessee's Project STAR (Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio), Wisconsin's SAGE (Student Achievement Guarantee in Education) Program, and the California class-size-reduction program. Lists several conclusions,…

The Executive Director, Education, for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, describes several shortcomings of large comprehensive high schools. Argues that small schools, be they public, private, or charter, offer a viable alternative to the problems of large schools if they have right essentials such as strong leadership and autonomy.…

Practitioner inquiry offers a strategy for creating systemic change thus increasing opportunities for all students' academic achievement. Too often, school counselors are considered ancillary in schools rather than an integral member of the practitioner base. However, school counselors are being included in the equation for all students' success.…

Compared scores for Texas eighth graders on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to study the achievement gap in mathematics in 1996 and 2000. Results show the likelihood of a ceiling effect impacting students' TAAS scores that created the illusion the achievement gap had narrowed.…

The paper analysed the trend and pattern of gender enrollment in Nigerian Universities between 1989 and 1997. It critically examined the gender disparity in university enrollment generally, as well as among some selected disciplines and the country's Geo-political zones. The analysis revealed that gap existed between female and male in the…

Recognizing the glaring discrepancies in outcomes for many poor and minority children, the New York State Regents hosted an Education Summit in November 2005 with the theme of Closing the Achievement Gap. Leaders in business, government and education were in attendance and rallied to more thoroughly understand the achievement gap and produce…

Concerned about the lack of focus on students' needs for support in order to meet rigorous academic standards at the secondary and postsecondary levels, the Pathways to College Network--a partnership of national organizations and funders working to improve postsecondary opportunities for underserved populations--is undertaking a national…

Presumably, everyone shares the understanding that teaching for social justice means providing students with a supportive learning environment that is just, fair, democratic, and even compassionate. In reality, people are probably using this term to mean many things without actually embracing it as a perspective for educating students in urban…

There are still 10 English local educational authorities (LEAs) that are wholly selective and a further 10 with some grammar and secondary modern schools. This article examines the academic performance of pupils in secondary modern schools and the funding of these schools using national data sets matching pupils' performance at Key Stage 2 and…

Schools often face a conflict between placing an emphasis on the pursuit of academic excellence (academic press) and creating a positive school community. This paper examines the separate and joint achievement effects of both academic press and communality across a sample of American public and private high schools. The hypothesis holds that when…

Several international agencies related to the United Nations and the World Bank convened the World Conference on Education for All in Jomtein, Thailand, March 5 through 9, 1990. The 1,500 conference participants adopted two texts, the "World Declaration on Education for All" and the "Framework for Action To Meet Basic Learning…

Findings from a study that examined high schools involved in school restructuring to determine the effect of restructuring on the educational experiences of persons along the axis of oppression are presented in this paper. A second focus was to explore the utility of feminist poststructural theories in educational administration research. The…