Discipline reformers claim that suspensions negatively affect suspended students, while others suggest reforms have unintended consequences for peers. Using student panel data from the School District of Philadelphia, we implement student fixed effects and instrumental variable (IV) strategies to examine the consequences of suspensions for…

Federal legislation has attempted to move career and technical education (CTE) from a segregated component of the high school curriculum to an integrated element that jointly improves both academic and career readiness. However, concerns remain about the ability of CTE to improve academic learning. Using a nationally representative sample of high…

This study examines public school characteristics, and public and private school market characteristics, associated with participation among elementary-aged students in a means-tested school voucher program in Florida. Participants are more likely than eligible nonparticipants to come from disadvantaged public schools on multiple dimensions. On…

In the past two decades, several major initiatives were launched to improve mathematics and science education. One prominent feature in these efforts was a new approach to teaching mathematics and science, referred to as "reform-oriented" teaching. Although past studies suggest this approach may improve student achievement, the relationships…

Many schools have adopted early-grade retention as an intervention strategy for children displaying academic or behavioral problems. Previous analyses of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort data have found evidence of negative effects of kindergarten retention on academic learning during the repeated year. Will kindergarten…

Glass and Smith's (EJ 207 324) conclusion supporting small class size may be true, but it is not supported by their evidence. Their analysis does not recognize intervening factors and varying class sizes. (CP)

Reviews Tennessee's Project Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) and puts the results in the context of other nonexperimental evidence about class size. Nonexperimental evidence does not support any achievement gains attributable to class-size reduction, and empirical evidence from STAR has design and implementation flaws that cast doubt on…

The literature on school absences has focused predominantly on the reasons for student truancy, or it has assessed only aggregate student absences in their effect on achievement. However, this study brings forth a new issue: the relationship between types of absences--excused versus unexcused--and school performance. With a quantitative model of…

K. S. Schiller, S. Plank, and B. Schneider argue that whether or not curricular differences exist between choice and nonchoice public schools cannot be answered by the analysis of Sosniak and Ethington. Sosniak and Ethington reiterate that choice as a policy is not a mechanism for stimulating curriculum change. (SLD)

Data show a long-term deterioration in American adolescents' conduct. In the last five to eight years, some of these trends have changed for the better. This article presents the relevant data, examines the diverse explanations for the trends, and discusses the implications of the trends for education policy. (Author/JAZ)

Criticism of the use of standardized tests in postsecondary education centers on: using test scores as the sole or main criterion for admission; scoring practices used for normative or grading functions rather than for diagnosis; and tracking students into different types of postsecondary institutions. (MH)

Title I Evaluation models using uniform procedures and data collection for state and national comparisons are interpreted as federal endorsement of basic, common competencies in reading and mathematics. Basic competencies, content homogeneity, conversion methodology, and validity of the evaluation are discussed. (MH)

Among the guidelines offered for educational policy-relevant research on the effects of school integration on minority student academic achievement are: age at which to desegregate students; school racial composition; ethnic or racial groups to be bused; instruction for non-Black minorities; and the role of social class. (MH)