Purpose: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of a new Test of Early Nonword Repetition (TENR) for 2-year-old children. Method: 232 British-English-speaking children aged 27 ([plus or minus] 3) months were assessed on 3 standardized tests (receptive and expressive vocabulary and visual processing) and a novel nonword repetition (NWR) test. Parents…

In education, artificial intelligence (AI) has not made much headway. In the one area where it would seem poised to lend the most benefit--assessment--the reliance on standardized tests, intensified by the demands of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which holds schools accountable for whether students pass statewide exams, precludes its use.…

This article presents the results of a research by Whitworth University music professor Richard Strauch which assesses the freshman class for Whitworth's 2007-08 academic year. Strauch found that Whitworth students who stuck with their high school music program had higher GPAs and standardized test scores upon entering the university than…

Educators are increasingly pressured to raise standardized test scores. Test-focused school leaders, however, may neglect school climate factors associated with positive student development and increased student achievement. The California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) and its Resilience Youth Development Module (RYDM) represent a research-based,…

When a student fails to master academic material, educators face a range of choices--they can provide extra tutoring, place the student in summer school, or, as a last resort, hold the student back for a year. This last option--retention--often proves to be a difficult and contentious issue for both schools and parents. California currently lacks…

Purpose: The purpose of this replication study was to determine the degree to which teachers and administrators in selected low-achieving Title I elementary schools: 1. Report that they teach the following test-taking skills to prepare their students to take the CST: establishing an appropriate student attitude toward testing, familiarity with the…

The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between the principals' leadership behavioral style, teacher' efficacious beliefs, and teachers' trust in the principal to the schools' graduation rate, the ACT and TCAP writing assessment school-wide averages, and the AYP English/reading and AYP mathematics school-wide. Working on the…

This study examined the way performance accountability culture influenced the work of public high school principals. A qualitative multiple case study design was used to discover the way principals responded to, and coped with, performance accountability culture at the local level. Interviews of nine high school principals in the state of New…

In this article, we analyzed past and present research studies in which investigators examined differences in academic achievement between students who were White and non-White (i.e., specifically Hispanic or students designated as Limited English Proficient). As anticipated, the majority of the researchers whose studies were analyzed reported…

Many school districts are moving to scripted programs in hopes of improving standardized test scores because of pressure from state and federal governments, particularly in low-income, bilingual, and low-performing schools. However, the relational side of education is an essential consideration, and it can be linked not only to proficiency on…

Research has shown that English as a foreign language (EFL) learners in Taiwan fall into two peaks of the curve. This is to say, learners can be classified into two major groups: those who perform quite well on standardized tests, such as college entrance examinations, and those who perform poorly. From a socioeconomic perspective, the correlation…

Parent involvement programs can play an essential role in the academic success of Latino youth. This article reports the effectiveness and evaluation of two new Extension programs that help Latino parents become more involved in their youths' academics. The Latino Parent and Family Advocacy and Support Training (LPFAST) targets parents of K- 8th…

This study measured self-perceptions of school competence among 263 4th- and 6th-grade African American students who attended an academically challenged school district. Self-perceptions of school competence are defined as self-perceptions of ability, confidence, and school satisfaction. Results indicated that 4th-grade students had lesser…

In the current climate of increased academic assessments, the discussion of student success in school is frequently limited to academic achievement. However, data show that when examining student success, components such as social development and prevention of risky behaviors significantly impact academic achievement. These outcomes form a…

Rhetoric is a discipline with a long and storied past with its roots in the seminal moments of democracy. In the incipient democratic societies of ancient Greece, rhetoric grew out of the new need to persuade large groups of people to come to a consensus. Public speaking, though featured prominently in many states' standards, is rarely a required…