Since its inception, the United States has struggled with its responsibility for educating African American students. Its history of denial and discrimination in the education of Black children has created a national crisis in which academic difficulty and school failure is disproportionately high. In an effort to improve the education of African…

The aim of this study is to examine Finnish students' school engagement profiles in the light of the data collected in the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) in 2003. Even though Finnish students' cognitive achievement has proved excellent in various international assessments, their school engagement has not been flattering. The…

Background: The study investigated a small range of cognitive abilities, related to visual-spatial intelligence, in adolescents. This specific range of cognitive abilities was termed "graphic abilities" and defined as a range of abilities to visualise and think in three dimensions, originating in the domain of visual-spatial…

Researchers and evaluators have been attempting to document the impact of ubiquitous or 1:1 computing on students, teachers, schools, and communities. However, the most recent reviews of research on 1:1 computing initiatives reflect a dearth of rigorous studies and emphasize the need for well-designed, scientifically based research to measure the…

The purpose of this study was to examine patterns with regard to six advanced high school mathematics courses 12th-grade students who took the American College Testing (ACT) assessment had taken between 1987 and 1997. Differences in performance on the ACT mathematics test were studied with respect to mathematics courses taken, gender,…

The National Science Foundation is investing millions of dollars in efforts to improve math, science, and technology education through its Statewide Systemic Initiatives (SSI) program. However, states are facing difficult challenges in accurately assessing the effects of these efforts on student learning. This issue of CPRE Policy Briefs examines…

This paper reviews the literature on various types of grouping strategies in order to determine which is the most effective in influencing mathematics achievement. After discussing teachers' reasons for grouping and popular grouping strategies, specific research findings on these strategies are reported. Highlights of each grouping strategy are…

This paper compares students' reports of the mathematics courses they took in high school with their post-graduation transcripts, and examines the relationship between various measures of mathematics course-taking and average National Assessment of Educational Proficiency (NAEP) scores. There were 6,311 grade-12 students in the NAEP, and…

Although women typically do as well as or better than men in the introductory computer science course at City University of New York's College of Staten Island, relatively few women even attempt it. This paper is an analysis of the transcripts of five years of computer science majors (n=626; 449 men, 177 women) at that institution. Data reveals…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the TI-81 Graphics Calculator as an instructional tool on college algebra students' conceptual and procedural achievements involving functions and graphs and on the students' attitudes toward mathematics. The study was a posttest-only, equivalent control group design conducted with students…

This document presents 1994 results of the Assessment of Achievement Programme, established by the Scottish Office Education and Industry Department to monitor performance of pupils in Scottish schools in particular areas of the curriculum. Samples of pupils were selected to be representative of pupils in all mainstream schools, whether education…

These excerpts from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards support the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Resource Kit by offering some context for discussing the teaching of algebra and geometry seen in the videotapes that are also part of the kit. The Standards describe the mathematics content…

The effects of a constructivist-oriented curriculum on the beliefs and motivations of students and parents toward being successful in mathematics were examined. Specifically, the question of the influence of constructivist activity on individual beliefs in and motivations toward task-orientation rather than ego- or work-avoidance-orientation was…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there would be a significant difference in the achievement levels of two groups of eighth-grade Algebra I students when one group receives instruction from a non-traditional (Saxon) method of instruction, and the other receives instruction from a traditional method (Fair and Bragg text). The study was…

This digest addresses the issue of sex differences in mathematics achievement in K-12 students. The problem is discussed in three sections. The first section examines the progress that has been made in narrowing the gap between girls' and boys' achievement in mathematics and the numbers of women and men who enter mathematics-related careers.…