The purpose of this paper is to propose a conception of the learning process and to suggest its mathematical form. In this framework, the characteristics of the schools children attend are emphasized. The objective is to suggest a framework for the evaluation of research on school effects and a point of departure for new research on the impact of…

The design of this Planned Variation study examines the impact of Project Follow Through on children, focusing on the 1-year kindergarten experiences of the third Follow Through group. Chapter 1 presents a short history of Follow Through and a description of each of the participating program sponsors. Chapter 2 considers the problems faced in…

The concern of this investigation lies with the development and estimation of models explaining children's intellectual variability. Specifically, attention is directed to: (a) the role of parental status attainments and family environments in the transmission of intellectual advantage-disadvantage across generations; (b) the possibility that…

A statistical model designed to assist elementary school principals in the process of selection educational areas which should receive additional emphasis is presented. For each educational area, the model produces an index number which represents the expected "value" per dollar spent on an instructional program appropriate for strengthening that…

A methodology for busing to achieve school desegregation is described. Two different approaches are proposed: a student interracial contact score and a quota method. Travel time and number of children bused are proxies for busing costs. Useful data include travel time, school capacity, and student residences for each region and level of school. A…

The study was an evaluation of the planning processes and the products of a curriculum engineering system in a school district. The primary objective was to determine the relationship between the quality of group planning effort exerted by curriculum committees and the quality of curriculum products produced by them. A systems analysis model was…

An in-depth analysis of a school's home-school-community relations program from the perspective of the school's staff and the citizens within its attendance area was conducted. The study was designed to determine the programmatic and nonprogrammatic activities and to examine the existing relationships between: (1) the operating functions, (2) the…

Demonstrates how structural equation modeling can be used to translate a verbal theory into a mathematical model that can be estimated and tested, and from which inferences can be drawn. Data used was taken from a previous study of the effects of family socialization on the formation of achievement values and self-concept. (Author/RH)

The proposed theory provides a basis for both measuring and correcting rater stringency error in some grossly incomplete rating data matrices. The theoretical model fits ratings made by faculty and resident physicians of student clinical performance in each of three junior year medical student cohorts better than alternative models. (Author)

Quantitative educational research with ethnic minorities has a long history, characterized by assumptions that are still operative, such as the assumption that the white male is the standard against which other groups should be compared. It has also been assumed that assessment instruments are applicable across all groups, and that sources of…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a variety of academic intervention programs designed to improve the success of "at risk" students at one university. Most programs were designed to either help students in a particular course (such as calculus or chemistry) or in a particular major. The performance benchmark used to assess…

The Technological Innovations in Medical Education (TIME) model, designed to be controlled by a professor in the classroom, incorporates voice recognition technology and video dramatization to create a believable patient encounter. A field test finding was that the students became committed to the care and management of the simulated patient.…

Results from a performance assessment in which 68 high school students wrote essays support the use of latent variable modeling for estimating reliability, concurrent validity, and generalizability of a scoring rubric. The latent variable modeling approach overcomes the limitations of certain conventional statistical techniques in handling…

A study used the Coursework Cluster Analysis Model to assess comparability of community college and lower-division courses taken by 76 transfer students and 168 "native" students at Southern University (Louisiana). Results indicate that the different student abilities and backgrounds and different institutions produced different kinds of…

A Markov chain is used to model the movement of undergraduates through the higher education system in Australia. Given the student's age on commencing a course of study, the model provides estimates of the probability of course completion, mean time for completion, and mean time spent in the higher education system. (Author/MSE)