"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) "Nation's Report Card": Reading Scores Flat for Fourth Graders; Eighth Graders Improve by One Point; (2)…

This policy statement presents a vision for a "new deal" to guide reauthorization of the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA). First, states must continue to lead the way with bold, thoughtful education reforms to ensure that all students graduate from high school ready for college and career. This includes developing and…

This article presents the state education finance and governance profile of Mississippi. Mississippians compose 0.95% of the total U.S. population, and the average density of the state is 60.7 people per square mile. In terms of education finance, the property tax is the sole form of local revenue for public education in Mississippi. In 1997, the…

The study examined variations in district performance in KCPE national examination in Kenya between 2001 and 2007. The individual change model revealed that district poverty rate was not a significant predictor of either the initial district performance (2001) or the rate of change over the seven-year period. The regional context of North Eastern…

Compared to other subjects, the typical introductory programming (CS1) course has higher than usual rates of both failing and high grades, creating a characteristic bimodal grade distribution. In this article, I explore two possible explanations. The conventional explanation has been that learners naturally fall into populations of programmers and…

A study examined the character of saccadic eye movement (as reflected by duration/amplitude and velocity/amplitude functions) in 20 dyslexic and 20 normal children (mean age 8.2 years) and 28 normal adults (mean age 26.2 years). (Author/PHR)

A second study of saccadic eye movement in 20 dyslexic and 20 normal children (mean age 8.2 years) in which preprograming and patterning of ocular motor differences between Ss is examined. (PHR)

The author criticizes an article defending the concept of learning disabilities and points out methodological concerns. He asserts that the term has not only not reduced ambiguities and inconsistencies in the definitions but has increased competition for diminishing federal and state support. (CL)

Argues that because of the need for the experiences of a child to be positive and successful, a process of uninterrupted promotion into each succeeding grade merits consideration; that each such retention be considered as an individual case, the school system instigating new programs for such retained students. (RJ)

National standards can help schools respond to diversity by creating school cultures that are task oriented rather than ability oriented. Ability goals foster competitiveness and hinder low achievers, who can get the support they need to meet high standards when the focus is on task achievement. (SK)

A teacher reflects on a child of low achievement by school standards who had a talent for learning to live and a school janitor whose master curriculum was manifested in a faithful way of life. (SK)

A recent survey comparing numeracy levels in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Japan, Australia, and Denmark found that 22% of UK respondents could answer 5 or fewer of 12 questions. Another British study found that 25% of 1,1714 adults had very low numeracy skills. (SK)

Advocates the use of value-added assessment. Argues that value-added assessment is not too complicated for teachers to use, that proposed alternatives such as subjective evaluation methods are untenable, and that low-achieving students are the major beneficiaries. (PKP)

Two studies investigated the effects of parents' control and autonomy support on low- and high-achieving children. In Study 1, mothers' (N1=10) involvement with children (7 to 10 years old) in the context of a challenging task was observed. During this interaction, mothers' control predicted diminished engagement and their autonomy support…