In the June 2010 "Harvard Business Review," Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University, wrote a column entitled "You Are What You Measure." In it, he thoughtfully prods business leaders to consider the problematic correlation between the tools for measuring progress and actual…

To produce maximum learning achievement, parents and teachers can take five basic steps: (1) finding a simple approach to mastery learning; (2) improving learning conditions at the beginning of sequential courses; (3) improving the home study environment; (4) helping students develop "automatic" reading skills; and (5) stressing higher mental…