Two teachers taught a unit to two classes of students. High- and low-ability students did better in the small group approach, while medium ability students did better in the large group. Analyses of group processes indicated students benefited from peer tutoring processes which occurred in small groups. (Author/DWH)

Describes the challenge and dilemmas facing administrators and school boards in recruiting exemplary teachers for low-performing schools. Provides examples from several urban school districts. Lists some of the political, managerial, and instructional dilemmas that superintendents' face trying to redistribute exemplary teachers and administrators…

Investigates relationships between student interest and achievement in science and career choice for Kenyan girls, ages 11-13, in Mombasa, Nairobi, and Kisii. Uses open-ended questionnaires and a science achievement test. Correlates girls' low achievement in physics to early career choice biased against technical careers. Includes tables showing…

The Corsicana (Texas) high school assistant principal recounts how 34 consistently failing math and reading senior underachievers successfully passed the Texas statewide tests after they were taught all coursework through their preferred learning styles in a supportive environment. (Author/DB)

Tests the existence of a structural shift between above- and below-average students in the econometric models that explain students' grades in principles of economics classes. Identifies a structural shift and estimates separate models for above- and below-average students. Concludes that separate models as well as educational policies are…

Social competence of elementary students (n=141) with learning disabilities, low achievement, or average to high achievement was examined. Ratings of social skills, peer acceptance, behavior problems, and self-perceptions were gathered from students, teachers, parents, and peers. Learning disability and low achievement groups were…

Quantitatively frames time allocation preferences and temporal dominance characteristics for 308 students perceived to be at risk by teachers in large urban high schools. Comparison with 205 normally attaining students indicates strong preferences among at-risk students for nondirected, time-consuming activities and weak temporal dominance or…

Seventy-four retained students in grades 3 through 6 were compared with 60 randomly selected students, 69 matched-ability students, and 35 students who were socially promoted. Early academic difficulties tend to persist. Although retention does not eliminate academic problems, social promotion may exacerbate them. (SLD)

Whether indexes of cognitive processes that affect adults are related to sentence reading times and recall was studied for 49 fifth grade and 73 seventh grade good and poor readers. Younger children differed from older children in that greater numbers of causal relations were associated with better sentence recall. (SLD)

Two studies with 170 children aged 4-12 years examined the possibility that unsolicited help can serve as a low-ability cue. Targets of unsolicited help are perceived by children as less able students who are less likely to do well and less likely to be desirable workmates. (SLD)

Results from 197 elementary school students (97 males and 100 females) aged 6, 7, and 8 years from New Zealand suggest that only poor and younger average readers clearly read better in context than in lists. Good readers, even when younger, seem to be less reliant on context clues. (SLD)

Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicate that school characteristics as well as individual actions of students help to explain differences between 661 high-achieving and 1,894 low-achieving African-American eighth graders. Process variables connected with schooling rather than family background explain differences in…

Reanalysis of data from a study by G. G. Duffy and others (1987) identifies changes in the knowledge of cognition (KOC) of 177 poor readers in the third grade over an academic year and the association of changes with strategy use and comprehension. KOC's role in reading is discussed. (SLD)

The effects of on-going curriculum-based measurement of student growth and expert system instructional consultation on teacher planning and student achievement in mathematics operations were studied for 33 elementary teachers assigned to one control or 2 experimental groups. Each teacher worked with two learning disabled or emotionally disturbed…

Options are presented for accountability in Chapter 1 schools and identification of low-performing schools. Two options are suggested that could move Chapter 1 toward more local control or toward more national control. In either case, the shortcomings of using normal curve equivalent gains on standardized tests should be recognized. (SLD)