The Magnet Program at Montgomery Blair High School is an application-based magnet program utilizing a curriculum focused on science, mathematics, and computer science catering to interested, talented, and eager to learn students in Montgomery County, Maryland. This article identifies and discusses some of the unique aspects of the Magnet Program…

Many students in US community colleges often speak a language other than English (LOTE) at home. They find it difficult to complete college requirements, and many drop out. Struggling with the acquisition of academic English and the content of their courses, they exhibit low academic confidence and are easily frustrated. In an attempt to raise…

This paper explores critical notions about how improved understandings of students learning experiences within practical learning environments could sensitise teachers to appreciate the complex influences more that affect how levels of challenge and perseverance are constructed by students. The authors, in furthering their critique, build on the…

This article discusses the relationship between persistence in adult literacy and numeracy programs, changes in the participants' attitudes to engaging in learning and pedagogic practices using data from eight Scottish literacy education organizations. It argues that literacy learning can act as a resource that enables vulnerable adults to change…

We transformed our first-year curriculum in biology with a new course, Biological Inquiry, in which greater than 50% of all incoming, first-year students enroll. The course replaced a traditional, content-driven course that relied on outdated approaches to teaching and learning. We diversified pedagogical practices by adopting guided inquiry in…

The purpose of this study was to examine existing data to determine if a significant difference existed between student evaluations from an online asynchronous and an online synchronous learning environment, as well as their impact on retaining students. The data available were from a national online university that serves students across the…

Advocates an intrusive advising stance and proactive teaching approach on the part of selected African-American and white faculty members as part of programs to retain disadvantaged African-American students in college. Meeting the political and organizational challenges of retaining disadvantaged African-American students is discussed. (SLD)

The nature of motivation among students taking higher studies is examined, based on research and interviews with students from various English polytechnics and universities. Study topics include environmental factors that influence success, the reasons for student withdrawal, and the effects of courses and teaching methods, as well as the…

As societal expectations about attending college have grown, professors report increasing numbers of students who are unprepared for the rigors of postsecondary education--not just more students with learning disabilities (whose numbers have more than tripled), but students (with and without special admission status) who are academically at-risk…

Learning improvement programs for underprepared postsecondary students are reviewed, and a Decision Guide for Effective Programs, which summarizes knowledge needed for decision making, is presented. Research data are analyzed to identify features of learning improvement programs associated with improved grade point average and retention.…

The 7th International Conference on Education Data Mining held on July 4th-7th, 2014, at the Institute of Education, London, UK is the leading international forum for high-quality research that mines large data sets in order to answer educational research questions that shed light on the learning process. These data sets may come from the traces…

As part of the General College of the University of Minnesota's Pilot Education Program (PEP) (1979-80) for academically underprepared minority group students, background information is presented about the development of the Chicano/Latino PEP package, the way that the Chicano/Latino team functioned; the nature, content, and teaching methods; and…

Research on adult basic skills in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the English-speaking world was reviewed. The most-researched areas of adult basic skills were literacy, numeracy, English for speakers of other languages, information and computer technology, and oracy. Oracy skills for monolingual English speakers and numeracy skills for…

The key features of student achievement were examined at twelve sixth form colleges (SFCs) in the United Kingdom with an emphasis on strategies to maintain and improve performance. It was found that students at SFCs have on average higher prior attainment and suffer less deprivation than their counterparts in General Further Education and Tertiary…

Research on adult basic skills in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the English-speaking world was reviewed. The review focused on the following aspects of adult basic skills education: the scale of need and impact of poor basic skills; learner characteristics; motivation, attendance, dropping out, and progression; provision and programs; tutors…