Investigates the relationship between school size and science and mathematics achievement in Dutch, Swedish, and American secondary education. The analysis revealed little evidence of any school-size effects on achievement in any of the three countries, possibly because school size and curriculum comprehensiveness are not strongly related in these…

Middle school students (n=86) with learning disabilities or emotional disturbance who participated in Cooperative Homework Teams achieved a higher rate of homework completion and higher percentage correct on homework than controls but did not perform better in mathematics achievement. Significant effects were found for grade level but not for type…

The Merit Workshop Calculus Program, based on Treisman-style workshop calculus, was intended to address the problems of low success rates of students from underrepresented populations and the failure to retain these students in mathematics- and science-based majors. Concludes that the program had a positive impact for both genders and several…

Causal modeling techniques applied to data from 791 college students showed that parental encouragement in math and science significantly influenced achievement, which in turn influenced self-efficacy and outcome expectations. Results supported the role of family context in Lent et al.'s social cognitive career choice model. (Contains 40…

Considers interrelationships among school climate, teacher empowerment, and school effectiveness, based on measures of mathematics and reading achievement in 86 New Jersey middle schools. Results show that teacher empowerment is pivotal to school effectiveness. A theoretical model explains linkages between organizational characteristics and…

Nine adults with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and nine age- and IQ-matched adults with PWS completed standardized tests of long-term and short-term memory, visual and auditory processing, and reading and mathematics achievement. Contrary to previous findings, long-term memory in PWS subjects was strong relative to IQ and there was no evidence that…

Measures Year 6 children from the United Kingdom for self esteem (Lawseq questionnaire) and attainment in mathematics (Mathematics 11) and reading (Primary Reading Test Level 2). Examines gender differences in attainment. Discusses the findings in relation to the debate concerning the low performance of boys. (CMK)

Suggests that when students improve their ability to code-switch from the local dialect (African American English) to Standard English, they improved their academic achievement, particularly in science and math. Indicates that future teachers need to be exposed to many different cultures and dialects in terms of teacher preparation. (SG)

Discusses the underachievement of women and girls and describes a program for gifted Canadian students that brings together training in high school and college-level mathematics and sciences and better linkages between schools, postsecondary institutions and the business community. A current research project examining participant achievement is…

A mediation model was used to test effects of poverty on the mathematics and reading achievement of young adolescents. A revised model indicated that poverty was associated with mathematics and reading achievement indirectly. Associations depended upon level of cognitively stimulating home environments, emotionally supportive home environments,…

Examines the effect of peers on elementary grade reading and mathematics scores. Finds, for example, that third-grade girls score higher on reading tests in all-female classes, that boys and girls score higher in mathematics in classes with larger percentages of females, and that Hispanic students score higher in mathematics and reading when class…

Performance of 210 2nd graders in different areas of mathematical cognition was examined. Children were divided into 4 achievement groups. Although children with difficulties in mathematics performed worse than normally achieving groups in most areas of mathematical cognition, those with difficulty only in mathematics showed an advantage over the…

Uses data from six waves of the Longitudinal Study of American Youth to discern when and why students drop out of advanced mathematics. Between grades 8 and 9, prior achievement plays a more important role than attitude or socioeconomic status, and between grades 11 and 12, student attitude toward mathematics is the most important factor. (SLD)

Estimates a model allowing researchers to determine how much achievement on a 10th-grade standardized test can be explained by observable schooling resources and unobservable school, teacher, and class effects. Although few observable variables are significant test-score determinants, unobservable effects seem important in explaining student…

Reinterprets Betts and Shkolnick's results in an article appearing in this "EER" issue. The data do not allow accurate classification of tracked and untracked classrooms. There appears to be little difference in student performance and resource allocation between schools that formally and informally group students by ability. (MLH)