Randomized experiments are commonly used to evaluate if particular interventions improve student achievement. While these experiments can establish that a treatment actually "causes" changes, typically the participants are not randomly selected from a well-defined population and therefore the results do not readily generalize. Three…

The essay examines the variety of research methods and measures used in the first-year experience and students-in-transition field over the past 25 years. Interrogating the extant research, Kinzie explores whether the methods and analytic processes most commonly employed are adequate to advance our understanding of complex issues in the field. The…

Studies by the National Association for Educational Progress found that English Language Learner (ELL) students perform poorly compared to other students on standardized mathematics exams. The research problem addressed how Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) affected the instructional practices of high school mathematics teachers.…

REL Southwest received a request to review the report "Avoidable Losses: High Stakes Accountability and the Dropout Crisis" to assess the soundness of the study methodology and the appropriateness of the conclusions drawn in the report. The review found that conclusions drawn in this study cannot be generalized and are significantly…

Identifies shortcomings of single equation models of educational achievement, including that they have omitted relevant variables. Considers three models of educational achievement--one using cross-sectional data; one using pre- and post measures of achievement; and one using more complete panel data. (Author/DB)

Meta-analysis techniques for integrating research findings are utilized in this report to determine the magnitude of the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and academic achievement. Also investigated are the factors which contribute to the large amount of variance in previously reported correlations between these two variables. Over…

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 a recent report, Lewis Solmon, Kern Paark, and David Garcia (2001) seek to identify the impact of attending charter schools on student achievement using data from Arizona. Based on a sophisticated statistical analysis, these authors report that charter school attendance increases test score gains of students. This note raises some questions…

Demonstrates the extent to which school-level performance in the British General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) program is underpinned by variations in the socioeconomic backgrounds of students. Concludes that uncontextualized performance statistics are flawed, and that policies for school improvement must address underlying constraints…

The evidence for possible negative effects of first-name characteristics on personal functioning is equivocal. Two studies were conducted that avoided previous methodological problems of measurement, sampling, and statistical control. Results indicated that children's social competence and school achievement were unrelated to the frequency or…

Discusses quasi-experimental and experimental research methodologies for investigating the relationships among teacher behavior, teacher competencies, student achievement, and student attitude outcomes. (MLH)

The non-response bias analysis of data from a stratified nationwide probability sample of high school seniors produced evidence in support of the hypothesis that nonrespondents tend to be of lower "educational level" than respondents. A partial-response bias analysis of the same data indicated that there were similarities between the biases of…

A new report published by the Manhattan Institute for Education Policy, "The Effect of Special Education Vouchers on Public School Achievement: Evidence from Florida's McKay Scholarship Program," attempts to examine the complex issue of how competition introduced through school vouchers affects student outcomes in public schools. The…

This paper presents a critical evaluation of the research study Pygmalion in the Classroom by R. Rosenthal and L. Jacobson (New York: Holt, Rinehard and Winston, 1968) and reports an extensive reanalysis of the Rosenthal-Jacobson data. The Pygmalion study purported to show that children whose teachers expected them to "bloom"…

This study estimated a component of within-school variance which has been overlooked in policy research studies and program evaluations performed to date: the effect on pupil performance of different teachers within a single school or program. Results indicated that teacher effects accounted for 30 to 40 percent of within-school variance. (Author/…