This report has two objectives: first, to explore how the demographic and educational characteristics of low-performing students compare to other students within the United States; second, to analyze if the United States differs from the other PISA countries in terms of the characteristics of its low-performing students. The Program for…

Although many educators have stated that children from low socioeconomic homes do not have the opportunities to learn as much compared to those of higher income levels, government officials do not accept that argument. They say that all should achieve the proficiency level in reading. This paper outlines the following ways the reading gap might be…

This paper describes one successful approach to restoring failing urban schools. The project involved six low-performing District of Columbia elementary schools. Its goal was to turn the schools around by implementing the Community for Learning comprehensive school reform model. It involved collaboration between the school district, school staff,…

Retention and social promotion are expensive failures. History and research show that retention and social promotion are ineffective in improving student learning and achievement. The alternative to these failed strategies is to personalize the learning environment. Research indicates six promising strategies for personalization, thereby reducing…

This report discusses low-performing school districts identified by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL). It is based on a 5-year contract in which SEDL tried to transform low-performing schools in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas into high-performing learning communities. The first part of the paper…

As in other states, many North Carolina schools face the challenge of hiring and retaining high quality teachers. Recruiting and retaining qualified teachers in math, science and special education is particularly difficult, especially for the schools serving disproportionate shares of disadvantaged or low-performing students. In 2001, North…

States have used a variety of strategies to address financial and educational bankruptcy in public school districts and schools. The results of these intervention strategies are ambiguous. Four approaches that have been used are: (1) district takeovers; (2) mayoral control; (3) third-party partnerships; and (4) reconstitution of schools. In all,…

The state universities of Michigan, like their counterparts across the United States, are suffering from a general erosion of academic standards and a radical politicization of the undergraduate curriculum. An important dimension of this problem is the effect on K-12 education in Michigan. Poor student performance and poor teacher preparation are…

This paper explores the effect of using concept maps as study tools on achievement in chemistry. Tenth grade students engaged in building concept maps as homework to investigate the correlation between their mastery of concept mapping skills and their achievement in chemistry, and gender differences in using concept mapping as a homework tool.…

This study compared high and low performing schools in a state secondary physical education high stakes assessment and accountability program. The South Carolina Physical Education Assessment Program (SCPEAP) required teachers to assess samples of students on competency across four state mandated performance indicators. This study examined the…

This study examined whether the existence or threat of competition would cause public schools to improve, focusing on Florida's A+ Program, which combined educational vouchers and high stakes testing. The theory behind the program is that chronically failing public schools will have an incentive to improve if they must compete with other schools…

This brief synthesizes seven papers commissioned for a series of meetings convened by Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning to discuss raising the achievement of low-performing students. The purpose of the brief is to identify some causes of the low performance of marginalized students, and then offer research-based solutions for what…

The practice of reforming failing schools through school reconstitution is one of the latest challenges for school system directors of evaluation and accountability. Failing schools are typically identified in terms of student test performance. However, evaluating the impact of reconstitution in terms of test score gains may not be an appropriate…

Increasingly, reading proficiency is being measured in terms of outcomes based data. This drive for accountability supports the growth of National Profiles, Literacy Benchmarks, and statewide assessments such as the Diagnostic Net, which record the numbers of students who fail to make the grade. In the face of widespread concerns about perceived…

A study was conducted to find ways to identify Wake County, North Carolina, public school students who need additional assistance in the early grades before they would be taking the North Carolina end-of-grade (EOG) tests. Also explored was the focus of assistance, since the EOG tests do not provide diagnostic information at the individual level…