This edition focuses on the topic of closing the achievement gap from the perspectives of urban and suburban school districts. After an introduction by Judy Stewart, the first article, "Addressing Racial Disparities in High-Achieving Suburban Schools" (Ronald F. Ferguson), shares findings from a recent survey of more than 34,000 students…

This paper describes how one engineering faculty member redesigned his first-year course in response to feedback from students wanting to have more personable and inviting relationships with their lecturer. Now, two years after these changes were made, student feedback collected through a modified version of the Invitational Teaching Survey (ITS)…

The University of Memphis (Tennessee) Libraries conducted a library user survey of undergraduate students in the fall of 1999. The survey was designed to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of current library resources and services, to ascertain usage patterns and user satisfaction with resources and services, and to identify future needs of…

Geographic information systems (GIS) are increasing in importance as a resource for collecting, managing, and analyzing data pertaining to a variety of business problems. Yet, the number of business schools that have incorporated GIS as a significant part of even one of their core business courses is quite small. Thus, little is known about how to…

This study assesses the extent to which student services within California's community colleges assist students in maneuvering through challenge, and to see whether student services programs nurture students' personal and emotional development. Using Chickering and Reisser's theory of student development, this study asked students to rate the…

As part of Johnson County Community College's (JCCC) enrollment management efforts, a questionnaire was designed to gather information about why applicants do not enroll at the college. Survey instruments were mailed to 1,129 potential students in December 1996, resulting in 218 completed surveys. Results are presented for the following areas: (1)…

This paper reports the development and validation of an instrument to measure teachers' beliefs about teaching related to the behaviorist and constructivist learning theories. The development process included two phases. The first involved the collection of qualitative data from inservice teachers to ensure that the survey items were grounded in…

A total of 199 students from a school in Hong Kong responded to 25 items in a survey. Principal components analysis found four school motivation factors consistent with the Task, Effort, Competition and Praise scales of the McInerney, et al. (1997) Inventory of School Motivation, one education aspiration factor and one career aspiration factor.…

GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a federally funded program aimed at encouraging disadvantaged middle and high school students to have high expectations, stay in school, and take college preparatory courses. The West Virginia Department of Education received funding to conduct the program in eight rural…

A study comparing the effects of student self-concept, classroom environment, and socioeconomic status on student aspirations and achievement surveyed 3,397 students in 28 rural and urban high schools in Western Australia over a period of 3 years. Government and nongovernment schools in metropolitan areas and in four categories of rural and remote…

This paper presents the results of a student survey on computer-mediated distance education (DE) at the College of the Canyons. The survey queried students about whether DE fit their lifestyle, previous DE courses, access to a computer, the Internet and e-mail, and whether they would enroll in an on-line course. A total of 906 surveys were…

Nine schools in a large suburban school district were selected to receive training on the use of information technology. Teachers were trained to use the World Wide Web, create their own Web pages, use Microsoft PowerPoint, and use HyperStudio. Both teachers and a random sample of students were surveyed and interviewed near the end of the year…

The report presents the major findings of a joint research project designed to determine the career and educational interests of Johnson County (Kansas) high school students. Results of these studies provide valuable insights into the current and future educational needs of the county's high school students and assist the school administrators and…

Although extensive research exists on the publishing success of academics, few studies have examined factors influencing the publishing success of graduate students and young academics. Data from a survey of 12,000 graduate students in the Humanities and related social sciences was used to examine citizenship, gender and racial/ethnic differences…

Imagine what a difference it would make if every child loved to read. Every teacher knows the difference that a love of reading makes to a child's performance; reading opens so many doors. However, research has long shown not only that men and boys in the developed world lag behind women and girls when it comes to engaging with reading. Thus…