This book presents case-study findings of five school systems' efforts to become true learning communities through action research into the school-renewal process. The programs were located in the Southeast, Midwest, Far West, and an overseas region of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools. The programs shared three characteristics: a focus…

By mid 2001, researchers affiliated with the Library Research Service of the Colorado State Library and the University of Denver had completed four statewide studies on the impact of school library media programs on the achievement of U.S. public school students: Information Empowered: The School Librarian as an Agent of Academic Achievement in…

In the first of seven chapters of this comprehensive review of research in social studies, William B. Stanley presents an overview of current issues and approaches relevant to research in social education. The second chapter, by Catherine Cornbleth, is a review of critical thinking and cognitive process research. Special attention is given to…

This digest addresses city and state takeover as a school reform strategy, outlining the emergence of takeover in the past decade, discussing promises and limitations that takeover offers, and synthesizing the research to date on takeover's effectiveness. A notable trend over the past decade is greater implementation of takeover reforms,…

This digest describes the organization of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and what is included in a typical NAEP assessment. The way in which the NAEP selects students for assessments and how the assessments are used are discussed. The NAEP is a congressionally mandated project of the National Center for Education…

Aptitude tests are defined in contrast to intelligence and achievement tests. Although aptitude tests, like intelligence tests, measure a student's overall performance across a broad range of mental capabilities, the former also often include items that measure more specialized abilities (such as verbal and numerical skills) that predict…

Studies on the criterion validity of student evaluation-of-instruction instruments are analyzed, and recommendations are offered for future research into student evaluation of instruction. The main problem, and probably the reason for the lack of validity studies, is that it is difficult to agree on what the criteria of effective teaching should…

Improving the quality of learning is basic to raising academic standards. Research on postsecondary learning improvement has provided a base of practical knowledge to guide faculty and planners. Successful learning improvement programs share two essential characteristics: they are more comprehensive in the range of students' needs met, and they…

Abstracts of most of the papers presented at the 56th Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) have been collected in this publication. Papers focus on such areas as student and teacher characteristics, student and teacher attitudes, science curriculum, science instruction, preservice and inservice…

School holding power, science enrollment patterns, teacher preparation, results of several assessments and testing programs for science, and variables influencing achievement are each discussed. (MNS)

The twelve papers, articles, and reports presented in this annotated bibliography review theories and evidence on the relationship between learning time and academic achievement in elementary and secondary schools. The papers concentrate on three types of learning time: "time on task," which is the amount of time students are actually engaged in…

Recent research suggests that teacher quality is the most important educational input predicting student achievement. Nonetheless, many teachers are less academically skilled than college graduates in other occupations. This study explores characteristics of highly qualified teachers and the connections that exist between these attributes and…

This document explores teaching and learning of mathematics apart from what mathematics content is being taught. Cooperative learning and peer tutoring are seen as effective alternatives for providing mathematics instruction in secondary schools. The physical and intellectual environments of the classroom are discussed, with special attention paid…

The subject of grade retention has generated substantial theoretical, empirical, and practical attention for almost a century. However, few conclusive statements regarding this widespread practice can be made, and the literature has generated mixed results. Reviews of the literature prompt many questions: Does retaining a child in grade increase…

Despite three decades of research on African American English (AAE), educational workshops aimed at improving the academic achievement, particularly the literacy achievement, of African American students still emphasize differences between Standard English and African American English. One result is that teachers may overlook the linguistic…