This study comparing three theoretical orientations of educational failure found that predictors based on child deficit assumptions were least able to discriminate among low, average, and high teacher recommendations; those based on environment deficit assumptions were more able; and those based on ecological assumptions were most able. All…

Instead of developing a new strategy for each reform wave, educators must learn how to foster continuous improvement. Reforms often fail because of faulty maps of change, complex problems, overreliance on symbols, superficial solutions, misunderstood resistance, attrition, and misuse of knowledge. Success means recognizing change as a systemic,…

A series of studies examined one to five year olds' developmental changes in reaction to achievement-related outcomes. Results were used to formulate a three-stage model for the development of achievement-related self-evaluation. Concludes that a distinction between achievement standards and prescriptions for behavior is not meaningful with young…

Maintains that the monograph, "Self-Evaluation in Young Children," by Stipek and others, forces a consideration of the "self" in "self-evaluation," and a rethinking of views about emotions. It attests to the lack of information on effects of socialization in early childhood. Monograph should add to research on the connection between cognition and…

A discussion of mathematics anxiety and learned helplessness in mathematics focuses on student failure and avoidance in college mathematics learning. It explores possible causes and suggests classroom activities to foster students' interest and success. (MSE)

Political efforts to desegregate schools fail when political opposition interacts with an institutional structure that ambiguously divides educational authority. Both factors explain failure of Yonkers, New York, to desegregate its schools during the 1960s and 1970s. This article cautions against abandoning school desegregation efforts and demands…

Describes a study that examined sociocultural influences on the attributions for success and failure among four distance learners in Turkey. The influences of patronage and oral tradition are discussed, and implications for applying Western-based attribution theory to distance learners in developing countries with more traditional cultures are…

Public Law 99-457 mandates collaboration among agencies serving special needs preschoolers. A statewide survey investigated interagency collaboration, studied factors related to successful collaboration, identified factors that inhibit collaboration, and determined training needs of early childhood service providers. (BC)

Many state optometric licensing boards require a scaled or percentage score of 75 on each section. A study of multiple criteria and pass-fail rates suggests that high failure rates are a result not of candidate ability but of arbitrary classification of test content. State boards are encouraged to resolve these problems. (MSE)

Correlates of help-seeking by college students were examined in 3 studies involving a total of 1,539 students. Evidence from all three studies supports the view that help-seeking in college is an achievement-related, rather than a dependent, behavior. Active learners were more likely to seek help when needed. (SLD)

A study investigated the relationship of English proficiency, measured by self-report and standardized test scores and selected nonlinguistic variables to academic problems perceived by 245 foreign graduate students. Self-rated proficiency, prior English training, and age were the most significant predictors of perceived difficulty. Language test…

It is suggested that the long-term effects of early education are mediated by enhanced educational aspiration and motivation, not cognitive skills per se. This model is discussed with reference to the Plan, Do, Review Cycle in the High/Scope curriculum and the experimental work of Dweck and Legett on the development of mastery orientation. (14…

This article examines student retention in grades, presenting five suggestions for dealing with the fact that it continues despite evidence that it is not beneficial. Strategies include closing the gap between research and practice, implementing remediation programs, implementing success strategies, and restructuring classroom organization. (SM)

Describes the chief characteristics of the Success for All program and reports some results of its effects on beginning readers and writers. Concludes that reading failure is fundamentally preventable for nearly all children, regardless of home background. (MG)

First and second graders (n=285) received one of three types of classroom reading programs: (1) direct instruction in letter-sound correspondence; (2) less direct instruction in sound-spelling patterns; and (3) implicit instructions in the alphabetic code while reading connected text. Results show advantages of reading programs that emphasize…