Described is a study which measures the relationship between favorable teacher attitudes, positive self-perceptions, and the academic performance of pupils. Findings indicate that female teachers under 27 years and male teachers 27 and over were less favorable in their attitudes towards education than older female and younger male teachers.…

This report sets out to define and construct a working model of a school management guide that will help school officials, school leaders, and community members make sense of the mountains of data they are generating. It is not so much a map to buried treasure as it is a guide to action. It does not say "X marks the spot," but it does provide some…

This summary is based on the findings of the full-length report, "Graduation and Dropout Trends in Chicago: A Look at Cohorts of Students from 1991 through 2004." The report was written to disseminate accurate and detailed information on student outcomes in Chicago's public schools. This summary includes information on how the rates in…

Iowa's educational system is defined by the strong working relationship between the local school districts and area education agencies. Local districts provide the instructional program and area education agencies provide support services. Area education agencies (AEAs) were created in order to provide equity in the provision of programs and…

This book is a teacher's resource guide designed to help students gain the range of math skills they need to succeed in life, work, and on standardized tests; overcome math anxiety; discover math as interesting and purposeful; and develop good number sense. Topics covered in this book include whole numbers; decimals and money; fractions, ratios,…

The Quality School Portfolio (QSP) Initiative was a partnership among the Chicago Public Schools, Illinois, the Joyce Foundation, and the National Center for the Evaluation of Research, Standards, and Student Testing. The project infused data-informed, question-driven, and technology-rich processes into school improvement planning, teacher action…

The purpose of this study was to: (1) determine to what extent instructional technology was being utilized; (2) determine what was the descriptive profile of teacher use; and (3) to examine the environmental and personal factors that effected the decision to use instructional technology. The survey data was analyzed by cross tabulations and…

Many educational questions of research interest focus on individual differences in attitudes and behaviors related to academic achievement, changes in such attitudes and behaviors over time, and the types of academic environments that facilitate or prevent development of achievement attitudes and behaviors at school. This paper, the first in a…

This document is designed to address the educational needs of the growing and diverse California population. It outlines and describes the roles and responsibilities of the California Postsecondary Education Commission. In addition to recurring responsibilities related to data collection and reporting, information dissemination, and legislative…

The purpose of this study was to compare and evaluate three online pretest item calibration/scaling methods in terms of item parameter recovery when the item responses to the pretest items in the pool would be sparse. The three methods considered were the marginal maximum likelihood estimate with one EM cycle (OEM) method, the marginal maximum…

This teaching unit is designed to help students in grades 5 to 8 explore the concepts of data analysis and measurement in the context of meteorology. The units in the series have been developed to enhance and enrich mathematics, science, and technology education and to accommodate different teaching and learning styles. Each unit consists of…

A simulation study was conducted to explore the potential of state assessment scores to improve adjustments for nonparticipation (McLaughlin, Gallagher, and Stancavage, 2004). That study found that state assessment scores could potentially be more effective than demographic information in removing the bias related to absences. The present study…

Both the United States and England initiated ambitious standards-based education reform to eliminate large gaps between their highest and lowest achievers. England appears to be ahead, having started in 1988 with a national curriculum, tests, and performance tables. The United States' No Child Left Behind Act began rewriting state rules in 2002…

This report recounts how four high schools were able to narrow or completely close the achievement gap and sustain their success over time. The four schools are all large, comprehensive public high schools that serve large percentages of minority students. They were selected based on their four-year record of narrowing or closing the achievement…

This audit, fourth in an annual series, tracks incidents of violence against Asian Pacific Americans in 1996 using data from a variety of sources. There was an increase of 17% in reported anti-Asian incidents in 1996, raising the total of suspected and confirmed incidents to 534. Although data were difficult to obtain, harassment increased by 161%…