We present a theory explaining the impact of ability tracking on academic performance based on grading policies. Our model distinguishes between initial ability, which is mainly determined by parental background, and eagerness to learn. We show that achievements of low ability students may be higher in a comprehensive school system, even if there…

The number of students with learning disabilities (LD) enrolling in postsecondary education has increased rapidly over the past decade. It is imperative to investigate what interventions have been used to assist students with LD in achieving academic success. To examine the interventions currently used to support students with LD in postsecondary…

Bullying has been shown to be negatively related to both academic performance and attendance among students. The present study examined a small-scale bullying intervention using a video-discussion model. Eighty-one students in grades 4 through 6 completed pre- and posttests examining gains in knowledge of bullying and responses to it. Results…

Our study examines the impact of adult mentoring on Black, under-resourced, urban, middle grade students. First, we explore impact of mentoring on grades earned in the context of a comprehensive program which included one-on-one mentoring and an array of out-of-school enrichment activities. We also examine the nature of mentor-mentee engagement…

Many school leaders believe that advisories are not worth the investment. The common view is that advisory is a "soft" offering that does not specifically address high-stakes tests, curricula, and instruction. But when executed properly, advisories address students' needs so that test scores improve, classroom instruction is supported, parents are…

This study examines the impact that Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) in middle school has on middle school course rigor and students' high school performance and college readiness. The study compares students who took AVID in middle school and high school with students who only took AVID in high school. The changes in middle school…

Transition plans for students with special needs provide support for social and academic success while giving students an accurate picture of what to expect in high school. The Texas Comprehensive Center recommends that schools develop a comprehensive transition plan district-wide. This district plan must include the cooperation of staff from the…

Despite the historical mission of career academies to expand opportunities and engagement of minority students, particularly African American students, more recent curricular changes in the career academy model have increased the rigor of these types of programs. These new initiatives have undoubtedly resulted in a demographic shift with more…

Income inequality has been rising in Britain for two decades and wealth is also more unequally distributed now than when New Labour first came to power. Various factors have contributed to this, including education which, according to the PISA 2006 data, has more unequal outcomes in the UK than in all but 2 of the 29 tested countries. Comparative…

The authors conducted a third-party study of the student achievement effects of Struggling Schools, a user-generated approach to Comprehensive School Reform (CSR). The design was a quasiexperimental, pre-post matched sample (N = 180) with school as unit of analysis, drawing on 3 years of achievement data from standardized external assessments.…

The present study describes students flows before and after the latest reform of upper secondary school in which a third year as well as a new grading system and new entrance requirements were introduced in vocational programmes. Published and unpublished data on student flows through upper secondary school before and after implementation of the…

The author was a member of the national advisory group designated to advise England's Secretary of State on results of the comparative study of selective and nonselective secondary schools. Here he reviews this study, published in 1980 as "Progress in Secondary Schools" and discusses some criticisms of it. (Editor/SJL)

This paper arises out of a longitudinal study of students in eight Scottish comprehensive schools. The schools are shown to have varied considerably in their "O" grade test results, and the differences appear to be largely but not entirely attributable to differences in the social class background of their students. (Author/SJL)

Presents an assessment of the relative performance of public and private schools, based on data from the Educational Testing Service. Challenges the Coleman Report's assertion that private schools more closely approximate the common school egalitarian ideal and sever the connections between background characteristics and measured achievement. (SA)

In England, parents make "choices" (in reality, "preferences") for the state-maintained secondary schools they wish their child to attend. If there are more applicants than places, the school's published admissions criteria are used to give priority to applicants. This article examines how school composition in London varies by…