The persistent underrepresentation of women and people of color in science and mathematics education and careers remains a challenge to all who champion the commitment of equity and excellence in education. This is the first publication in a series produced by the Science and Mathematics Education unit at the Northwest Regional Educational…

Educational practices in tracking and ability grouping are reviewed, and it is suggested that cooperative learning strategies are effective alternatives for students who need preparation for the challenges of citizenship in the future. Research studies have given rise to many criticisms of tracking, particularly as it relates to minorities,…

This study was conducted to determine the status of tracking and ability grouping for mathematics and science courses in the public secondary schools of Virginia as required by the General Assembly of Virginia. Guided by Virginia's standards for accrediting public schools that deal with instructional programs, the study team sought to determine if…

A review of the literature on compensatory education programs was conducted to determine the effects of their following design features: (1) instructional setting; (2) class size; (3) ability grouping; and (4) various types of instructors. Remedial instruction in reading, language arts, and mathematics for elementary school students was…

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A NONGRADED HIGH SCHOOL WAS COMPARED WITH THAT OF A TRADITIONALLY GRADED HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SAME CITY BY ADMINISTERING TESTS AND RELATED EVALUATION METHODS TO A RANDOMLY SELECTED SAMPLE GROUP OF 141 TENTH-YEAR STUDENTS AT EACH OF THE SCHOOLS. SIX STUDENT GROUPS FOR EACH SCHOOL (DISTINGUISHED BY SEX AND ABILITY LEVEL) WERE USED…

Traditionally, local school boards have had the power to assign students to classes and to set standards for promotion and graduation; with this authority has gone the discretion to decide what role pupil testing will play in the local schools. Courts have been reluctant to interfere with school board decisions on methodology, of which they…

When a child takes a standardized test measuring ability or achievement, the results of that test may well determine the kind of education he is going to get. When school personnel select certain tests, administer them, and assign students to groups according to their scores on these tests, are they doing it in such a way that the end results are…

This research examined the relationship between parental social capital and children's educational track placement in Germany, and how parental social capital differentially affected the tracking experiences of German and non-German children. Parental social capital was defined as the degree to which adults used family networks or connections to…

Gifted students represent an under-served population in the education system, especially at the middle school level. These students require special attention in regard to their social and emotional needs. The first section of this paper explores the literature pertaining to the education of gifted middle school students and the definition and role…

This book is a collection of research papers and respected philosophical statements on how secondary school students learn science best. Taken together, these papers serve as the basis for the Project on Scope, Sequence, and Coordination of Secondary School Science (SS&C). This book explains where the learning ideas of the SS&C Content…

The four papers in this report summarize the major findings of the On the Right Track Project, a joint effort of the Education Testing Service and the National Urban League. The first paper, "Six Urban School Districts: Their Middle Grade Mathematics Grouping Policies and Practices" (Ruth B. Ekstrom), describes the six school districts…

In this article, the author presents the words of participants in a professional development academy who discussed challenges associated with implementing mathematics education reforms in their classrooms and schools. The goal is to provide insight into the complexity of issues that hamper the transformation of the mathematics education culture,…

Marsh and Parker (1984) described the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE) whereby equally able students have lower academic self-concepts in high-ability schools than in low-ability schools. The present investigation, a reanalysis of the Youth in Transition data, supported the generality of the earlier findings and demonstrated new theoretical…

This monograph presents information to help educators consider how to determine the best age for each child to begin his or her formal schooling. Trends in state requirements for school entrance age are described, and research in areas such as mental age, reading readiness, child development, screening instruments, and experimental preschool…

This collection of essays is intended to give a broad view of what is currently known about the management of classrooms. Contents include "Conceptualizing Classroom Management" by Mauritz Johnson and Harry Brooks; "Making Managerial Decisions in Classrooms" by Walter Doyle; "Authority and the Management of Classroom…