This paper provides a concise summary of 10 years of research into defining appropriate statistical models for estimating school and teacher effect on student learning and other important educational outcomes. It discusses criteria for judging models and presents the formulae for the two-stage, two-level student-school hierarchical linear modeling…

A meta-analysis of studies conducted between 1974 and mid-1987 on sex differences in mathematical tasks is presented. Methods used include estimations of: (1) parameters for a random effects model, and (2) coefficients for a linear-regression equation, all based on effect sizes calculated from each study. Differences have been decreasing. (TJH)

This paper reviews the present state, recent trends, and prospective lines of development concerning applied problem solving, modeling, and their respective applications. Four major trends are scrutinized with respect to curriculum inclusion: a widened spectrum of arguments, an increased universality, an increased consolidation, and an extended…

How computers have affected diagnosis in mathematics is discussed. A distinction is made between errors and mistakes, followed by consideration of computers as a diagnostic tool. The development of algorithms to diagnose errors and of models of student performance is described. (MNS)

Psychometric theory has been one of psychology's stronger foundations and a major contributor to the recognition of psychology as a scientific discipline. Basic principles of psychometric theory led to the development of respected intelligence tests and large and comprehensive testing and assessment programs. This paper synthesizes major…

Many educational questions of research interest focus on individual differences in attitudes and behaviors related to academic achievement, changes in such attitudes and behaviors over time, and the types of academic environments that facilitate or prevent development of achievement attitudes and behaviors at school. This paper, the first in a…

Drawing on empirical studies from five countries (Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, United Kingdom, and United States), over 2 decades, outlines irregularities in the incidence of over- and under-education and consequences for individual earnings. The overall incidence of overeducation in the labor market is about 26 percent. (Contains 33 references.)…

Addition of fiscal response factors to the traditional simulation model of school finance demonstrates that the traditional model underestimates both the costs and impacts of state aid programs at the district level. The study reviews research on fiscal response--defined as school districts' taxing and spending behavior after receipt of state…

Residential areas with low property tax rates are more desirable than those with high tax rates, and school districts that have a high rate of expenditure per pupil are more attractive to parents than those with low rates of expenditure. For these reasons, the financial characteristics of a school district influence the value of housing in the…

Expands on research findings about the literacy development of children living in poverty through the use of a large and nationally representative sample of poor and middle-income eighth graders. It explores home and school influences on young adolescents' performance on reading comprehension. (GLR)

A general model for a quantitative description of individual growth in learning was developed. Published data in a variety of areas and data on learning sequences in a classroom were processed through the model. Findings suggest that the general growth model governs growth phenomena. (Author/RD)

A broad spectrum of methodologies pertinent to studies of schooling effects are reviewed. Methodological issues and problems are addressed according to a three-dimensional conceptual framework: (1) indicators of schooling effects; (2) study approaches; and (3) units of analysis. Problems and uses of status attainment and difference scores as…