This 4-year study examined implementation of the Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP) in six Baltimore City public schools. BCP used a combination of direct instruction (DI) and core knowledge as its reform curriculum. Each school was demographically matched with a similar, within-district school. Two cohorts of students were followed throughout the…

The use of curriculum based assessment (CBA) to ensure learning disabled and low achieving students adequate educational opportunity remains the focus in this direct and comprehensive third edition. The additions to this edition are in the way of providing detail and explanation in the context of current and emerging issues in educational…

Good questions, effectively delivered are a key feature of learning and teaching. QUILT is a research-based, field-tested professional development program designed to assist teachers in developing and implementing effective questioning skills to facilitate student learning. The QUILT framework presents classroom questioning as a five-stage…

This paper investigates the values implied in the mathematics instruction of an elementary school teacher in charge of fifth and sixth grade. The major research methods were classroom observation and interview. The research results discovered that the foremost mathematics pedagogical value of the teacher in this case study was "a good…

As part of an ESRC-funded longitudinal study, "Student Experiences of University Mathematics," we followed a cohort of undergraduate mathematics students at two traditional universities with high ratings for research and teaching. This report centres on interpretations of successful students' engagement with their course as gleaned from in-depth…

School administrators in a small suburban school district in Southeastern Pennsylvania were concerned about grade inflation at the elementary and secondary levels. Specifically, they wanted to know if students in grades 5, 8, and 11 who scored at the basic or below basic performance level on the 2003-2004 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) versus traditional lecture-type instruction on triangles. Two quasi experiments were conducted in six 6th grade classes with a total of 108 students respectively. The students in the control groups were taught the concepts of triangles in their…

This paper describes basic facts regarding the black-white test score gap over the first four years of school. Black children enter school substantially behind their white counterparts in reading and math, but including a small number of covariates erases the gap. Over the first four years of school, however, blacks lose substantial ground…

The purpose of this E.D. TAB is to introduce new NCES survey data through the presentation of selected descriptive information. The E.D. TAB is purely descriptive in nature. Readers are cautioned not to draw causal inferences based solely on the bivariate results presented in this E.D. TAB. It is important to note that many of the variables…

In a three-year study, RAND researchers examined the relationship between reform-oriented instruction and student performance in mathematics and science. At the end of the study, students who had been exposed to more reform-oriented teaching performed better in both math and science than those who had experienced less, but the differences in…

This paper is about improving mathematics achievement among the lowest attaining students in some mainstream secondary school through focusing on thinking in ordinary lessons. The research is funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation (grant numbers 01-1415 & 02-1424) and involves three academics and nine teacher-researchers. A research perspective…

Debate is well under way regarding the efficacy of the "No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act," including whether this bundle of federal rules and resources is prompting gains in student achievement. Spirited conversation will intensify as the Congress discusses how to adjust and reauthorize this ambitious set of school reforms. Both state and…

This booklet is designed for both families and educators because the work of encouraging girls in math begins at birth and continues throughout the school years. Cooperative interaction must be provided in order to equip girls with the best chance possible to succeed at mathematics. This booklet provides information about the harmful and lasting…

Technology permeates the lives of most Americans: voice mail, personal computers, and the ever-blinking VCR clock have become commonplace. In schools, it is creating educational opportunities at a dizzying pace and, within and beyond the classroom, it is providing unprecedented access to a universe of ideas and resources. As a next step, the…

Because state mandated testing has become so important in indicating student achievement in mathematics, measurement has become equally important in indicating student achievement. At the other end of the continuum of assessment, constructivists advocate assessing student achievement within an ongoing lesson or unit of study. The everyday…