The findings of surveys concerning the attitudes and behavior of students in China are presented. Studies investigated the ideology of middle school students; youth's ideals, motivations, and interests; middle school students' dislike for politics classes; the education of only children; academic decline of junior high students; and guidance…

Study showed that levels of repetition and dropping out in the primary schools of 121 countries in Africa, Asia and Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe and the USSR from 1970 to 1980 remain very high. This educational wastage is costing a great deal of money. (RM)

Male and female subjects from low and middle-upper socioeconomic groups were asked to explain their academic success or failure. Few sex or social class differences were found, with most subjects attributing success to internal, medium stable, and controllable causes. (GC)

This report is the outcome of a 1-day conference organized by the Southwark Black Education Group (London, England) Southwark Council for Community Relations, documents concerns of the black community about the exclusion of black students from the schools, and presents some practices that have been applied successfully in some schools to improve…

What should educators do with students who do not meet standards? Ideas and strategies that educators can use to answer this question are outlined in this book. Rather than relying on forced social promotion, schools can and should offer students a variety of helpful options, such as remaining in the same classroom with the same teacher for…

This report examines the performance of students facing the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) policy to end social promotion in 1999. As the third group to face CPS promotional test cutoffs, they received more programmatic support than previous students. An afterschool program was expanded considerably, and many more at-risk students were required to…

Investigates changes of the student population with academic difficulty at the College of the Canyons. More specifically, this fall 2002 study investigates trends of the student population with academic difficulty over time, demographic changes of the population over time, and the impacts of an academic intervention workshop. Outlines the…

When the educational system in Ontario, Canada, moved toward a child-centered philosophy, the onus for failure was placed on the child and his or her home environment. This philosophy penalized children from working-class and non-English-speaking homes. Arguments in the nature-nurture controversy are reviewed. (PP)

Research regarding the promotion or retention of students has shown consistently that non-promotion is not an aid to pupil achievement, personal development, or motivation. Alternative strategies for dealing with underachievers are discussed. (PP)

Discusses how children from certain social backgrounds come not to succeed in schooling at the same rate as other children, examining explanations that have been posited since the 1950s. Calls for greater recognition among educators that children's social and cultural experiences affect their communicative styles and, thus, their learning. (GC)

Reviews literature from several disciplinary and theoretical perspectives on the relationship between academic failure and student attitudes and behavior. Argues that the current process of schooling generates negative student attitudes and antisocial behavior, and examines how improved research methods might generate a more complete view of…

Investigated teachers' ability to identify students at-risk for failure. Found correlations between teachers' ratings and standard measures of intelligence and ability of 337 sixth graders were highly significant and predictive of high school grades. At-risk students were significantly less academically able, more anxious and had lower…

This study compared causal perceptions of teachers and pupils regarding pupils' success or failure on a test. Teachers attributed success to themselves, to home conditions, and to effort on the part of the student. They attributed failure to the pupils' lack of preparation, low ability, and test difficulty. The perceptions of the pupils were…

The case involves the academic dismissal of a female medical student and her allegation of denial of due process. Other related decisions are reviewed. It is concluded that this decision endangers the vitality of the concept of due process. Available from "NY Law School Law Review," 57 Worth St., New York, NY 10013. (MSE)

A study involving five fourth-grade behavior problem children with reading failure was designed to replicate an earlier study which demonstrated positive effects of teacher written praise notes as motivating agents for improved performance. (SBH)