"Research Highlights" is an annual publication documenting developments in the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)'s research programs for the previous year. The 2005 edition highlights research on the following themes: (1) Improving outcomes for Indigenous students; (2) Understanding transitions from school to adulthood;…

Despite some improvements over time, national statistics point to a continuing gap in the average English literacy and numeracy achievement of Australian indigenous students when compared with non-indigenous students. A longitudinal study by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has been monitoring growth in the English literacy…

The National Accessible Reading Assessment Projects (NARAP) is a collaborative effort that is conducting research to make large-scale assessments of reading proficiency more accessible for students who have disabilities that affect reading. There are two projects that comprise the NARAP partnership, Designing Accessible Reading Assessments (DARA)…

Addressing the needs of English language learners, remedial readers, avid readers, gifted readers, dormant readers, reluctant readers, and readers in content areas, this book's goal is to help middle school teachers connect their students to reading. The book offers multiple lists of trade books that different types of middle school readers enjoy;…

As part of a series of stories about real-world schools that have achieved substantial success in school improvement over multiple-year periods, this report provides an in-depth look at one school's efforts to improve student learning. The school profiled is Highland Elementary School, located in Salem, Oregon, serving a student population of…

The 1996 High Schools That Work (HSTW) Assessment provides ample evidence that HSTW strategies can make a big difference in student success. Students who completed an upgraded academic core and challenging vocational courses met HSTW goals and were actively sought by employers and postsecondary schools. However, too many career-bound high school…

In the assessment literature, a general recommendation has been to disaggregate scores and other data for students with limited English proficiency (LEP). This has rarely been done for most non-English language background (NELB) students in the United States, with the partial exception of Spanish speakers. Nationwide Spanish speakers make up the…

This document is a study of standardized tests by sub-group, ranking the states according to scores divided (in turn) by gender, race and ethnicity, location of school, family income, parental education, teacher qualification and experience, limited English proficiency, special education participation rate, and per-pupil spending. The tests…

With the mandate of "No Child Left Behind," high-stakes achievement testing is firmly in place in every state. The few studies that have explored the effectiveness of high-stakes testing using NAEP scores have yielded mixed results. This study considered state demographic characteristics for each NAEP testing period in reading, writing,…

This issue focuses on practices that can help improve reading instruction and includes two announcements from Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL). It begins with a look at study groups, the practice of teachers getting together to focus on instructional practices and student learning. Stacey Joyner, a staff member of SEDL's Texas…

This Kids Count data book examines statewide trends in the well-being of Texas' children. The statistical portrait is based on indicators in ten general areas of children's well being: (1) number of low birthweight babies; (2) rate of prenatal care; (3) infant mortality rates; (4) child death rates; (5) number of births to single teens; (6)…

In an effort to understand the schooling process, a longitudinal study was conducted of children enrolled in three elementary schools. Children entering first grade in a middle class white school, an integrated lower class school, and an all-black lower class school were followed to the end of third grade. This final report of the study presents…

A 1982 study assessed the comparative reading comprehension levels and writing ability performance of Trades Certification Board (TCB) apprentices in five trades in New Zealand. Test data were collected for 1,389 apprentices and a comparison group of 361 secondary school students. The cloze procedure format was adopted for assessing apprentices'…

Designed to assist parents, classroom teachers, reading specialists, and special educators, this book describes effective reading programs that promote reading success and achievement for children at all reading levels. The 10 chapters of the book are as follows: (1) "Preventing Reading Failure and Increasing Reading Achievement through Learning…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 22 titles deal with the following topics: computer-assisted instruction; school characteristics and reading achievement; the process of reading acquisition; on-task behavior, teacher involvement, and reading achievement; the…