This publication is the sixth issue of a report required by state legislation to examine how well North Carolina schools are serving the children and youth of the state. It presents information that is related primarily to the outcomes of education based on student achievement. Statewide performance results and individual reports for the 119 local…

Using data collected by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) through its literacy assessment of young adults, this study addressed the question of whether adult patterns of reading activity related to demonstrated proficiencies. Five reading patterns were developed that represent various combinations of high and low activity with…

A study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of using video as a method of beginning teacher observation. In addition, the study investigated whether or not trained observers (raters) could score beginner teacher performance videotapes reliably using a 4-point holistic scoring scale. To this end, the researcher collected 24 beginning…

This report discusses a study of 31 postsecondary students (20 males and 11 females) with learning disabilities (LD) and/or with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that examined college achievement and attributional styles. Students completed a combined Academic Attributional Style and Coping with Academic Failures Questionnaire.…

This collection of seven essays from the Stanford Forum for Higher Education Futures focuses on how downsizing, quality management, and reengineering have are affecting higher education. An introductory paper, "Introduction: Change in Higher Education: Its Effect on Institutional Performance," (Joel W. Meyerson and Sandra L. Johnson)…

A study examined the system of performance measures and standards approved in each state in response to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act of 1990. An initial letter and two follow-up letters were sent to 54 state directors of vocational education. All states responded with information concerning their approved systems of…

This study is an investigation of how modeling aids learners in developing problem solving skills within a computer learning environment. The task given to the 45 undergraduate and continuing education students serving as subjects, was to solve a crime in the computer game, "Where in Time is Carmen San Diego." Three subject groups…

The purpose of this Mississippi study was to determine if there was a correlation significantly different from zero between test scores, level of accreditation (Level 1--the 17 highest-scoring public school districts in the study, or Level 2--the 18 lowest-scoring), district expenditure per pupil, district size, and eligibility of students for…

Previous studies have shown that, when administered a self-adapted test, a few examinees will choose item difficulty levels that are not well-matched to their proficiencies, resulting in high standard errors of proficiency estimation. This study investigated whether the previously observed effects of a self-adapted test--lower anxiety and higher…

The purpose of this paper is to address the evaluation of the social service component of Head Start, through its main contributor, the family service worker (FSW). Sixty-six Head Start family service workers--arranged in 3 focus groups of 10 to 20 workers--from both rural and urban communities in the Southeast met to discuss the characteristics…

This book on African American males presents the first step in an ongoing exploration of the relationship between parenting and academic achievement among African American children. Subjects of the study were high-achieving members of the Meyerhoff Scholars, young African Americans distinguished for their achievement. The Meyerhoff Scholar program…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a multisensory spelling intervention under two conditions using high-frequency words written in isolation and in context. The population for the study was 15 fourth and fifth grade students with learning disabilities. A randomized, pretest-posttest control group design was used. The…

Much research has been devoted to ways in which schools influence students. To study this influence, the identification and definition of dimensions of school effectiveness across a range of outcomes and different geographical and educational policy contexts is presented here. The paper describes the findings from a 3-year study funded by the…

This study discusses the outcomes of a survey of 23 educators from 19 high schools on a block schedule in New Hampshire. Educators from each school were asked their perceptions of the effects of the block schedule on students identified as having emotional/behavioral disorders and/or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) in comparison…

This study compared the performance of 300 Chinese children on the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts-Revised (BTBC-R) with that of American children from the standardization sample of the BTBC-R. Subjects were in kindergarten, first, and second grade, and completed the test at the end of the 1996-97 school year. The focus of the comparison was to…