This report synthesizes research on helping at-risk students meet academic standards. The studies chosen had to be published after 1984, be implemented in the United States, relate to K-12 students, directly assess students' academic achievement, address strategies that could be implemented in the regular classroom, and use strategies targeting…

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative, instrumental case study that examined students' academic preparedness, as well as assessment and placement policy in 15 community colleges in 6 states across the country. Although most community colleges mandate basic skills assessment for all entering freshmen, many do not require low-scoring…

This collection of 21 essays focuses on people who experience the world with multiple languages: (1) "Myths about Multilingualism" (Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa); (2) "Teaching Languages using the Multiple Intelligences and the Senses" (Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa); (3) "The Role of the Sense of Smell in Language Learning"…

The findings of this analysis represent cause for both optimism and concern. In most states, schools and systems are raising achievement and closing gaps, especially in the elementary grades. But in far too many states, they are struggling to educate students, especially low-income and minority students, to middle and high school standards.…

This report presents student-level achievement results for the four charter schools that began operation in Tennessee during the 2003-04 academic year. To conduct a rigorous and valid analysis of student achievement outcomes at these schools, we employed a matched program-control design at the student level, whereby each charter school student was…

Recently the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) completed a project to connect the scale of the MCA and BST with NWEA's RIT scale. Six Minnesota systems participated in the study, using test information from a group of over 13,000 students enrolled in third, fifth, and eighth grades who took these Minnesota Assessments and NWEA tests in the…

The Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance followed the progress of students in high-poverty schools as they moved from third to fifth grade, investigating the impact on student achievement of specific classroom practices fostered by school-, district-, and state-level policies. This analysis, conducted between 1996-99 as part of…

The Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance (LESCP) analyses were organized around policies embodied in Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This study measured changes in student performance in seventy-one high-poverty schools, which included many schools that had implemented standards-based reform policies. The…

This case study examines the history and current circumstances of education in East Feliciana Parish (Louisiana) in the context of its participation in the Delta Rural Systemic Initiative (RSI), which aims to improve science and mathematics achievement through systemic reform. This report describes the parish's history, demography, and economic…

The U.S. Department of Education's Strategic Plan 2002-2007 (2002) established an objective to "reduce the gaps in college access and completion among student populations differing by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and disability while increasing the educational attainment of all." Upward Bound, which made its first awards in 1965, has…

This resource provides information to assist parents, family members, early childhood teachers, caregivers, and other adults in promoting the learning and development of young children ages birth to three. It is a companion to the Nebraska Early Learning Guidelines for Ages 3 to 5, and uses the same format and domains of development. This…

The aim of the study was to examine the effects of implementing computerized project based- learning (CPBL) approach into a didactical course for third year pre-service mathematics teachers. In this paper we focus on impacts concerning the pre-service teachers as learners. Analysis of the data revealed three main sub-categories relating to aspects…

What is meant when people say that "learning environments are increasingly complex"? What is known about the cognitive processing that occurs during complex learning? How can educators provide effective instructional support for students who must learn and apply complex knowledge? These questions, and related issues, have fascinated educators and…

This book provides teachers of English for speakers of other languages and adult basic education with practical teaching strategies that can be applied across a broad range of vocational courses. It provides guidelines for setting up tutorial support within the context of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) vocational courses in Australia.…

A study described the dynamics of integrated mathematics-vocational-technical education learning initiatives in high schools and postsecondary institutions that have adopted the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards. A national survey of secondary and postsecondary sites engaged in linking mathematics and…