The central thesis of this essay is that the subordinate status occupied by blacks because of racial stratification requires and promotes lower school performance or school failure and therefore that the school failure is a kind of adaptation to the phenomenon of job and role ceiling. (Author/AM)

Learning disabled (n=34) and low-achieving (n=34) incarcerated delinquents (16-19 years) were assigned to social metacognitive training, attention control, or test-only control groups. Those given metacognitive training improved in rehabilitation achievement and other areas of social adjustment, with a greater proportion of the learning disabled…

This study investigated the effects on reading of matching perceptual strengths of second- and third-grade, below average readers. Experimental groups consisted of 24 predominantly visual and 24 predominantly kinesthetic learners. Gains were significant for experimentals over controls in word recognition and reading comprehension. (Author/BS)

Many of today's youngsters are alienated, poor achievers with drug dependencies. Recent "liberating" developments for adults, such as simplified divorce procedures, have lessened adult input in children's lives. Support of children from public institutions wanes as political conservatism increases. Effective solutions are sorely needed on the…

A list is presented of 70 typical academic problems of learning-disabled children that special educators must be able to diagnose and remedy. The problems are categorized as follows: reading, language, spelling, handwriting, arithmetic, thinking, and school task and behavior problems. (JDD)

The Atlanta Partnership of Business and Higher Education, Inc. works to harness the resources of business, higher education, governmental, religious, and human-service agencies for the benefit of youth. The programs in Atlanta are successful because they involve sharing of personal attention and time as well as money. (MLW)

A study comparing the residency training performances of students who had had academic difficulty and a control group of students with no significant academic difficulties concluded that institutional decisions concerning academically troubled students should be based on individual situations. (MSE)

Current demands for educational excellence will probably help better students get better; may help average students, who struggle, to enhance achievement; but may create more dropouts among poor students. Students with low grade point averages benefit little from exposure to tougher courses and suffer from loss of vocational and general education…

Data generated through the National Assessment of Educational Progress's regular and special reading assessments during the 1970s indicate that the reading performance of historically lower-achieving students has risen considerably. Unfortunately, the significance of the data has not been fully explored by the news media. (PGD)

Two experiments were performed to examine the encoding function of note taking and processing differences between successful and less successful college students in lecture situations. Memory differences between these two student groups were interpreted as the result of factors occuring during note taking. Successful students engaged in greater…

A review of research from American cities and a description of an inservice teacher education program in Newfoundland focus on connections among teacher attitudes, nonstandard dialects, and students' low levels of writing and reading abilities. (GW)

This paper considers whether or not curriculum initiatives within England are in fact leading to qualitatively improved levels of thinking among children identified as lower achievers in arithmetic. Revisiting data from two earlier studies and introducing current data, the paper draws comparisons in the strategies that 8-year-old children use to…

Research for Action (RFA) has been tracking changes in 86 Philadelphia schools that were originally identified as "low-performing" and targeted for intervention following the state takeover of the School District of Philadelphia in 2001. This document outlines some of the numerous changes that have occurred in these "Original…

Cognitive/Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) is a construct developed by linguists that distinguishes everyday conversational language and language used in literature and on academic tests. The "No Child Left Behind Act" has created impetus for scientifically researched pedagogy that serves to increase academic achievement of groups…

This paper is a case study of Kentucky's attempt to fix not only failing schools but a failing public school system. It reports on the policy making and implementation conundrums of the debate over Kentucky's high stakes accountability system. As a political policy analysis, the study relies on documents, media reports, and interviews with key…