Two schools in Idaho received ARRA SIG (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act School Improvement Grants) funds to enable them to implement improvement efforts. This paper describes the outcomes of these two ARRA SIG recipient schools: (1) Jefferson Middle School; and (2) Lakeside Elementary School. The experiences of this non-recipient school is…

Two schools in Michigan received ARRA SIG (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act School Improvement Grants) funds to enable them to implement their improvement efforts. This paper describes the outcomes of these two ARRA SIG recipient schools: (1) Phoenix Elementary-Middle School; and (2) Arthur Hill High School. The experiences of these…

The State of Florida Department of Education provides pre-and-post-graduation data for public high school graduates throughout Florida. These data were used for the present report to produce data sets for all M-DCPS regular high schools and charter high schools graduating students in 2009 and 2010. Summary data for the district are also provided.…

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.…

Noting the general lack of research on handwriting instruction, a study examined hand and eye dominance, hand positions, and handwriting production of children. Subjects were 310 children from grades one through five in classrooms of regular children, mainstreamed team teaching classrooms, and self-contained gifted classes in a large elementary…

This study sought to determine if success and continuance in an accelerated high school mathematics program could be predicted, and which identifying tools would best accomplish this purpose. The sample consisted of 72 tenth- and eleventh-grade students in one high school who were either identified for acceleration or had accelerated on their own.…