Overviews of three studies which focused on achievement as related to instructional time are presented. The first study investigated whether or not time spent in science with fourth and fifth graders (N=86) detracted from learning in more basic areas. The second study examined reading and mathematics achievement in grades 1 and 3 as related to…

Many educators and researchers who believe that girls have less mathematical ability than boys associate this deficiency with girls' inferior spatial ability. This generally accepted belief that spatial skills are a major prerequisite for math achievement was tested through a study of the visual-spatial skills of a sample of 32 professional…

In response to the urgent national need to revitalize mathematics and science education, the National Research Council (NRC) has undertaken an examination of mathematics education from kindergarten through graduate study. This is a summary of a report outlining the seriousness of the situation and emphasizing how critical mathematics is for…

A case study of a seventh-grade mathematics classroom was conducted for almost three months in l985-86. The purpose was to investigate factors related to mathematics achievement. The 16 students consisted of 4 black females, 3 black males, 5 white females, and 4 white males; the teacher was a black male. The data came from field notes and audio…

The Statewide Assessment Program, administered by the Alaska Department of Education, tests all fourth and eighth graders in math and reading biennially. In 1985, the Department's Office of Evaluation, Assessment and Research undertook an evaluation of the assessment program to identify procedures which needed improvement and to determine the…

This publication summarizes the achievement results of the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) for grades 1-12 in reading and mathematics for 1975 through 1985. In 1975, the California Achievement Tests (CAT) were administered to students in grades 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9. However, in 1976, the testing program was expanded to all…

To assess enrollment trends in Michigan colleges and universities, two surveys were conducted in 1976 and 1977. Community colleges reported either fairly constant enrollments in remedial courses or slight increases; many of their students had always needed remedial work. For four-year institutions, increases were often dramatic. This is paralleled…

Evidence shows that choice of field of concentration at the middle school or junior high level is the single most powerful predictor of how far a student will progress up the educational ladder. National statistics now indicate that out of 10 Hispanic students in the 8th grade, about 5 will receive a high school diploma but only 1 will have…

This issue contains abstracts and critical comments for ten mathematics education journal articles, plus an editorial on teacher education needs by Thomas J. Cooney. Two articles focus on problem solving; the remainder concern instruction about and with computers, geometric perceptions, preservice teachers' conceptions of volume, attitudes toward…

Noting the lack of a comprehensive body of knowledge about Asian American educational achievement and attainment, this document examines recent national data in order to develop an empirical profile of the educational status of Asian American secondary and postsecondary students. According to the data, higher proportions of Asian Americans than of…

Systematic changes in their classroom environments occur when students make the transition from upper-elementary to junior high school. Students typically experience a transition from a self-contained classroom to departmentalized instruction in junior high school; they often also experience a transition from heterogeneous to homogeneous,…

Results are presented of a study determining the effects of type of junior high school science program on science content achievement and science process achievement in the presence of reading achievement, mathematics achievement, and sex. Two groups of ninth-grade students (N=50) were randomly selected to participate in either an ISCS program or…

This document opens with an editorial comment on two analogical models for mathematics education research. Analyses and abstracts of twelve research reports related to mathematics education follow. Four of the reports deal with aspects of learning theory, two with sex differences, and one each with achievement grouping, drill and practice,…

Many black students, female students, and students of low socioeconomic status do not achieve up to their potential in mathematics. A model to explain group differences in performance is presented. Relevant research results are included, along with suggestions for future research to test the model. (PK)

This study evaluated the degree to which college major (education or business) and student individual differences (sex, age, mathematics ability, and locus of control) are related to attitudes about computers. Results indicate education majors have less favorable attitudes about computers than business majors even with individual differences taken…