American schools have been credited with building American democracy. This is a myth which has been largely responsible for the resistance of today's schools to needed change. Exposing this myth are records of several major urban school systems which show the high rate of school failure among the urban poor since before 1900. These statistics have…

This report contains the Civil Rights Commission's evaluation of school desegregation in a variety of school districts throughout the United States and is based on data obtained from commission hearings, State Advisory Committee to the Commission meetings, mail surveys to 1,291 school districts, and 900 indepth interviews in 29 school districts.…

Notes that poor readers often equate reading difficulty with failure and exhibit stress reactions, and suggests that teachers take these feelings into account to help with remediation. (JC)

One way of countering illiteracy is to teach children to read before they enter elementary school, e.g., in nursery school or at home. The "right age" for learning to read is discussed; positive results of a project in France that taught nursery school children to read and write are examined. (RM)

The author builds upon a foundation which identifies courageous school leadership and the professional learning community as the center of effective school reform. The author offers six guiding principles steps for creating and sustaining a high-performing school: (1) Common mission, vision, values, and goals: (2) Systems for prevention and…

The focus of this paper is to present non-traditional or alternate instructional methods in remedial mathematics education at the community college level. However, these methods will apply to credit math courses as well as courses from other disciplines. With the large number of students needing remediation and the United States traditionally…

This executive summary describes a study that finds nearly every school in the Great Lakes states is threatened to fail the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements mandated by the federal "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) Act. NCLB holds schools and districts accountable for student achievement on state standardized tests and schools…

Influences are examined (home, school, and intra-personal) which are associated with early school leaving. A follow-up study reports the educational and occupational plans and attainments of early leavers. (Author/BW)

A culturally and economically diverse group of 361 urban seventh graders rated their perceptions for liking and difficulty of core academic subjects and their attributions for mathematics test performance. Results suggest that boys and girls are not significantly different in their perceptions and in their attributions for lack of success. (SLD)

Ninety-seven elementary general education teachers rated their responses to the test failures of hypothetical boys with and without learning disabilities. In most cases, greater reward, less punishment, less anger, more pity, and higher expectations of future failure followed the negative outcomes of the boys with learning disabilities compared to…

A case study of one female middle school student examined her tendency toward learned helplessness. Observations and interviews with the student and her teachers indicated that she lacked confidence; her belief that she could not change her intellectual and social situation was pervasive. Approaches to intervention are discussed. (SM)

Examines characteristics of successful book-reading programs for low-income African-American children and parents to encourage literacy. The paper focuses on the Parents as Partners in Reading program which encouraged and guided parents in specific, appropriate ways to assist in their children's development and learning. (SM)

Argues that deficit/deficiency explanations of minority groups' poor academic performance and attrition at higher education levels are untenable. A cultural difference perspective suggests practical means to identify solutions to these phenomena. College faculty must assume responsibility for adapting instructional and counseling services to…

Third graders (94 girls and 100 boys) and junior high school students (143 girls and 136 boys) completed questionnaires about mathematics achievement-related beliefs. Girls rated their own abilities more negatively, had lower expectations, and were more likely to attribute failure to low ability compared to boys. (SLD)

Discusses implications for teacher education of Cummins' theoretical framework for analyzing minority students' school failure. Researchers adapted a multicultural education course, then surveyed student attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors toward minority children before and after taking the course. The course produced increased cultural sensitivity…