Multiple imputation is a popular method for addressing data that are presumed to be missing at random. To obtain accurate results, one's imputation model must be congenial to (appropriate for) one's intended analysis model. This article reviews and demonstrates two recent software packages, Blimp and jomo, to multiply impute data in a manner…

Critiques "The Statistical Analysis of Quasi-Experiments" by Achen and examines its relevance for historians. Discusses the problems that arise when quasi-experiments involving nonrandom assignment or nonrandom selection are analyzed as if they were true experiments. Concludes that Achen's book will help historians recognize these…

Two biographies of Sir Cyril Burt argue the case of Britain's most famous psychologist, accused of academic fraud relating to his studies of IQ and heredity. The verdict is unclear, but lessons abound for social science researchers, students, universities, and investigators of research fraud. Contains 62 references. (SV)

Summarizes Bruer's work, which questions the prevailing emphasis on the first 3 years as most critical to brain development. Notes that the book both elucidates a "blueprint" for mounting an effective public awareness campaign, and provides an excellent synopsis of implications of contemporary neuroscience for early childhood education…

Asserts that this book, drawn from a 1993 conference on memory development, accurately reflects the contemporary status of the field in two ways: (1) its research is matured and specialized; and (2) there are no major theoretical disputes, nor a widely shared new approach, although using microgenetic designs to study cognitive strategy choice…

Of the four guides to schoolwide reform models (by Herman and others, Northwest Regional Education Laboratory, Robert Slavin, and Margaret Wang and associates), Herman's volume provides the most detailed, scholarly review. Practical information abounds, but more well-controlled and designed longitudinal studies are essential. (Contains 32…

Reviews Jessor, Colby, and Shweder's "Ethnography and Human Development: Context and Meaning in Social Inquiry." Maintains that the book invites reflection on the appropriate epistemology of contemporary social sciences, and significantly advances the integration of ethnography and developmental psychology research. Argues that concerns…

Robert Coles' book "Eskimos, Chicanos, Indians, Children in Crisis" (1977) and Don Barnett's article "Attitudes of Eskimo School Children" (1973) attempt to present needed information on the values of Eskimo children. However, many of their findings are questionable due to poor methodology and interpretation. During summer…

"The International Handbook of School Effectiveness Research" (2000) by C. Teddlie and D. Reynolds is a searching, authoritative assessment of the SER field. However, the field should acknowledge its failures and lose its "schools make a difference" mantra. The "next wave" must grapple directly with implementing and…

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…

Reviews the 1989 report, "A Common Destiny: Blacks and American Society," which examines the anticipated and unanticipated consequences of initiatives since 1940 to improve the Blacks' social position. Criticizes the report for omitting evidence concerning racial differences in intelligence and criminal activity at the individual level. (FMW)

"School Effectiveness for Whom?" (1998), edited by R. Slee and others, challenges the claims and silences of effective schools research and seeks more theoretically robust understandings. M. Thrupp's book "Schools Making a Difference: Let's Be Realistic" (1999) urges greater recognition of educational reform's limitations. Both…

Although nearly 200 million has been invested in producing and rewarding National Board-certified teachers, a study by Lloyd Board and colleagues is the first to assess whether such teachers perform better than their peers. It is uncertain whether researchers' 13 measures of teacher expertise actually correlate with improved student achievement.…

In "On the Desirability of Own-Group Preference" (1993), Michael L. Penn, Stanley O. Gaines, and Layli Phillips argue that misguided and mythical ideal of racial-social integration in America is the only reasonable and effective foundation for real African empowerment in American society. Serious intellectual battle will be required to…

Reviews "Writing the Rural," five "cultural geographies" by Paul Cloke, Marcus Doel, David Matless, Martin Phillips, and Nigel Thrift that focus on proliferating meanings of "rural" and on understanding the "rural" as something fashioned by both rural residents and various outside actors. Highlights the…