A report of retention rates is produced at the end of each school year in the Austin Independent School District (AISD), Texas. Information is gathered after the beginning of the school year to reflect counts of actual retainees from the previous year. Overall retention rates for the beginning of the 1993-94 school year are: (1) elementary, 0.5%;…

In 1995 the Rowland Unified School District (California) developed a new mission statement defining core values for the district's preparation for the 21st century. The district then set about implementing a new accountability system with existing measures to establish baseline data for measuring progress toward the new goals. The focus in this…

Ability grouping and the tracking of students have become traditional in the U.S. education system. In 1893 the National Education Association (NEA) demanded that every subject taught in secondary school be taught in the same way; but by 1918, the NEA supported academic tracks for some students and vocational tracks for others. Since then, the…

A study examined the personal linguistic range of registers held by low socioeconomic black students to see if they differed from those of middle income children and to what degree this correlated to school achievement. The study used a modified version of both analytic induction and constant comparison. Subjects attended a Title 1 magnet school…

This research investigates comprehension monitoring by studying the relation between the perception of comprehension during reading and detection of comprehension failures. Two groups of four college students (good and poor learners) defined by a post-hoc median split learned a physics chapter while rating their comprehension on a four-point scale…

A study examined adult low-literate readers' knowledge of their cognitive skills. By better knowing this clientele from both the cognitive and metacognitive angles, several objectives could be met, including remedying a lack of knowledge in their assessment, and building a valid curriculum content closer to their needs. Many studies suggest that a…

A practicum was designed to remediate reading skill deficiencies of four slow third-grade learners by using computerized instruction. The major goals were to increase instructional reading levels and reading comprehension; to remediate specific reading skill area deficiencies; and to increase collaboration among resource teachers regarding…

A study examined the relationship between the attendance of parents of low-achieving students at scheduled school meetings and conferences and student performance in reading and language arts. Data were gathered from 73 Chapter 1 schools in the Dallas Independent School District. Variables used were the performance of Chapter 1 students in reading…

This report describes a model academic improvement program for 18 third graders with low achievement. Data from a questionnaire filled out by four teachers and from observations by the teachers revealed that students targeted for the program demonstrated low learning readiness skills, which resulted in less than desirable behavior, study skills,…

This report presents findings of a survey administered to 176 superintendents of small school districts in California. The purpose of the survey was to identify problems perceived by superintendents and to assess the extent to which districts have difficulties in providing effective instruction to limited English proficient (LEP) students.…

This study was conducted to examine high school teachers' perceptions of self-efficacy and ways in which self-perception is affected by: (1) differences in the characteristics of classes taught; (2) differences in the organizational environments in which teachers work; and (3) interactions that neutralize the negative effects of difficult classes.…

In February 1990, the President of the United States and the 50 state governors proclaimed a set of six national goals to prompt profound improvements in schools and student achievement by the year 2000. These six goals reflect widely held concerns that most people have not been receiving the kind of education they need to meet the challenges of…

In this discussion of the use of mentors working with at-risk students, it is suggested that universities involved in preservice education should establish jointly, with local schools, the training of teachers in affective education--mainly in the area of self-esteem. The stress on cognitive development should take a secondary role, rather than a…

A practicum addressed the problem of reading comprehension skills in low achieving students by monitoring their progress utilizing precision teaching. Based on referrals from classroom teachers, guidance counselors, and parents, five students ranging in ability levels from kindergarten through grade 8 were accepted into the program for one or more…

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score differences were examined for Black and White examinees who entered American medical schools in 1978 and 1979. The incidence of academic difficulty resulting in delayed graduation, withdrawal, or dismissal was also examined. The MCAT provides six scores: biology, chemistry, physics, science problems,…