Over the past 7 years the debate on educational policy in Germany has been greatly influenced by major empirical studies of educational performance in the tradition of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), notably the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the Programme for…

This study addressed recruiting principals into low performing schools. A sample (N=619) of principals, assistant principals, central office administrators, school counselors, and teacher-leaders from the 29th largest school district in the United States role-played as applicants for principal vacancies at schools classified as low-performing…

Former Baltimore cop and teacher Ed Burns isn't a masochist. The writer-producer for "The Wire," a critically applauded HBO series about life and death on the streets of Baltimore, is just feverishly trying to save public schools. He thinks American education is hopelessly screwed up, but that it's also the country's only hope. So it…

The estimated 518,000 children in foster care in the United States are among the most at-risk children in American society. Research shows that foster children are more likely to be at risk of poor life outcomes. The quality of a foster child's primary and secondary education is a major factor in future life success. Early warning signs of these…

This study focuses on flexibility provisions in the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) provision of NCLB. Specifically, it addresses REAP Flex, a program that allows rural districts additional control over how to spend portions of their federal funding. REAP Flex is part of a series of NCLB flexibility initiatives aimed at rural schools.…

Throughout seven years of teaching in urban schools, the author discovered that the most effective ways to teach difficult literary texts was to refer to students' out-of-school activities. In other words, to connect the "leaky edges of the "social outside"" with the "individual inside" is to create a curriculum of…

The trajectory of the Roma is illuminating for understanding the social situation of other minorities, but also for a set of issues concerning the multiculturalism present within states. In this article, the author discusses the context of Roma education--marked by the stateless and marginalized status of the Roma--and provides a brief history of…

A group of seventh- and eighth-grade Italian students with low achievement (LA) in learning English as a foreign language (FL) was selected and compared to a group with high achievement (HA) in FL learning. The two groups were matched for age and nonverbal intelligence. Two experiments were conducted to examine the participants' verbal and…

This article presents a longitudinal case study of an urban high school as it transitioned from one comprehensive reform model to another over a 10-year period. The study is based on qualitative interview data and quantitative data on student outcomes. Despite evidence of improved student outcomes during this reform period, the school could not…

The factors that influence the performance of undergraduate students in introductory biology courses were studied, considering cognitive, metacognitive, and behavioral factors. From 612 participants volunteering, 52 consistent high performers and 57 consistent low performers were selected. Information was collected on their study habits,…

A qualitative study followed slow-progress students as they engaged in embedded word studies in their classroom-based literacy activities. Issues addressed were: (1) the ways embedded word studies promoted slower-progress students' word knowledge; (2) how developing word knowledge influenced these students' reading and writing attempts; and (3)…

The joint efforts of twentieth-century public school administrators and private philanthropy in initiating reforms to provide for children with learning disabilities are examined. The development of these reforms is traced from the establishment of special classes for the backward to the creation of programs for the learning disabled. What this…

This study describes the effects of ability-paired student interactions on achievement as fifth graders (ten-year-olds) worked on laboratory activities relating to balance. Achievement gains were assessed (n=83) by analysis of pre/posttest differences on the Lever Concept Test. Audio recordings and field notes (n=30) were analyzed for the…

The Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence (CREDE) has developed five standards for effective teaching and learning for all students, including those placed at risk for academic achievement. These standards emerge from principles of practice that have proven successful with majority and minority at-risk students in numerous…

Educational challenges of and reasons for minority students leaving school have repeatedly been examined by researchers. This literature review includes a presentation on various historical theories that provide explanations concerning the success or failure of visible racial/ethnic minorities in United States schools. In addition, Hispanic…