Examines effects of the National Urban League's Systemic Initiative reforms in four cities: Chicago, El Paso, Memphis, and Miami, based on an analysis of interviews with 47 principals. Principals must balance the demands of systemic math and science reforms with those of multilevel accountability policies. Such alignments may be unachievable.…

Between 1970 and 1988, the African-American/white achievement gap was halved; progress halted during the 1990s. Latino students made substantial progress until 1992. Increasing minority and low-income students' achievement levels requires focusing on what really matters: high standards, a challenging curriculum, and good teachers. (MLH)

Uses data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) to examine the relationship between class size and mathematics achievement in nine countries. In no country other than the United States was a beneficial effect found for small class sizes. Except in Hong Kong, neither curricular coverage nor instructional practices…

Examines Black-White and Hispanic-White achievement gap trends over 30 years, identifying key factors contributing to bifurcated patterns in achievement gaps. While conventional measures of socioeconomic status, family conditions, youth culture, student behavior, and schooling might account for some of the trends for a limited time period or a…

Examines perspectives on family influences on child development. Maintains that genetic and biological factors and parental actions/attitudes make important contributions to individual differences. Draws on research on gender differences and conduct disorders to illustrate that parental influence on individual differences within cultures has been…

Finds little or no differential effects of ability grouping for high-, average-, or low-achieving students, based on data from a 1992 longitudinal study. Examination of three school inputs (class size, teacher education, and teacher experience) indicates that grouping and nongrouping schools similarly tailor resources to ability levels. (Contains…

Examines international assessments, like the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, and what they can tell about how well Canadian students perform relative to other participating jurisdictions and how well jurisdictions do on different assessments at different points in time. Discusses uses of international comparisons to inform…

Examined the effects of early educational experiences on the academic achievement and social skills of 91 inner-city first graders. Found that, after controlling for first-grade teachers' instructional practices and beliefs, children with prekindergarten experience had higher scores in mathematics and language and higher social skills than…

Discusses effect of competition from charter schools and voucher programs on students who remain in public schools; focuses on Milwaukee (effect of vouchers), Arizona (charter schools) and Michigan (charter schools). By comparing test results between schools affected by competition and those not affected, argues competition improves public…

Examines how the wording of statistical problems affects 11-12 year old children's answers. Ninety-six children were given statistical problems on two statistical concepts (base-rate and the law of large numbers). Indicates that the children had a high level of statistical intuition and knew when to reason statistically. (CMK)

Third and fifth grade teachers rated the mathematical skill level, classroom behavior, and effort of their students, most of whom had completed mathematics and reading achievement tests. Results indicated that mathematics and reading achievement test scores, together with student effort, were significant predictors of teacher rating of mathematics…

Discusses implications for educational policy drawn from the report "The Nation's Report Card: Mathematics 2000." One finding may support the inclusion of special needs students in assessments. Implications for the use of educational technology focus on the use of computers and calculators in instruction and assessment. (SLD)

Middle school data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) are analyzed in this article to compare achievement difference between seventh and eighth grades. The statistical computing involves a selective subtraction of item scores in more than 40 countries. The research findings indicate that not all TIMSS items have…

The purpose of this study was to test a model of the relations between specific academic enablers (motivation, interpersonal skills, engagement, and study skills) and mathematics achievement. Using teacher judgments of academic enablers and achievement, we examined the fit of this model for primary (Grades K-2) and intermediate (Grades 3-6)…

Mathematics and science are key areas of knowledge for development but South African performance in these areas is still of concern. This policy-related article provides a nuanced analysis of performance indicators. Using Gauteng as a case study the article examines the mathematics trends (the period 1998-2003) in participation and in particular…