Many adult basic education programs use the Tests of General Educational Development (GED[R] Tests) to measure the skills and knowledge associated with a high school program of study as well as to assess the achievement gains of adult learners through participation in their programs. Using data from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy…

This action research report describes a program to increase students' reading comprehension and fluency through the use of guided reading. The targeted population consists of second and fourth grade students in a northwest suburban area of a large city located in the Midwest. The problems of low reading comprehension and fluency scores were…

This article addresses several key ongoing issues in a large urban school district. Literature focuses on what make a large urban school district effective in Human Resource Management. The effectiveness is addressed through recruitment and retention practices. A comparison of the school district with current research is the main approach to the…

Within an evidentiary framework for operationally defining academic English language proficiency (AELP), linguistic analyses of standards, classroom discourse, and textbooks have led to specifications for assessment of AELP. The test development process described here is novel due to the emphasis on using linguistic profiles to inform the …

The Center on Education Policy (CEP) has been studying state high school exit examinations since 2002. This is the sixth annual report on our comprehensive study of exit exams. The information comes from several sources: our survey of states that have mandatory exit exams, interviews with state officials, media reports, state Web sites, and case…

The purpose of the Voluntary Public School Choice (VPSC) Program is to assist states and local school districts in the development of innovative strategies to expand options for students, and to encourage transfers of students from low-performing to higher-performing schools. This report presents interim findings from the National Evaluation of…

One of the most critical needs in Florida's "Reading First" schools is to improve the effectiveness of interventions for struggling readers. For example, during the 2005-2006 school year, only 17% of first grade students who began the year at some level of risk for reading difficulties finished the year with grade level skills on the…

It is estimated that 22 percent, of adults in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina have poor literacy skills, meaning that they have difficulty with tasks involving simple texts and documents. Purpose: Given this low level of adult literacy, the purpose of this exploratory research study was to analyze the perceptions of North Carolina's adult…

In 1997, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation created a national education initiative, ENLACE (pronounced en-LAH-say), ENgaging LAtino Communities for Education. Its goal is to increase access and success in higher education for Latino students and their families. The ENLACE approach described in this document starts with partnerships as the vehicle for…

This report describes findings on the quality of the More at Four Program and the outcomes for children during pre-k from two program years: 2003-2004 (year 3) and 2005-2006 (year 5). Separate results for the 2005-2006 cohort are presented to provide a picture of the program in its most recent year of operation as well as results from the 2…

This research project consists of a randomized experiment in a few of the Reynoldsburg City Schools. The primary purpose of this research is to produce scientifically based evidence of the comparative effectiveness of the "Scott Foresman Science" ("SFScience)" program. The question being addressed by the research is whether…

This research project consists of a randomized experiment in St. Petersburg Catholic Schools. The question being addressed by the research is whether "Scott Foresman Science" is as effective as the current curricula being used in the participating campuses of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg. The research focuses on 3rd, 4th,…

This research project consists of a randomized experiment in Visalia Unified School District. The question being addressed by the research is whether "Scott Foresman Science" is as effective as or more effective than the curriculum being used at each site. Since Scott Foresman Science provides a significant reading component, the authors…

This research project consists of a randomized experiment in Ogden City School District. The primary purpose of this research is to produce scientifically based evidence of the comparative effectiveness of the "Scott Foresman" program. The question being addressed by the research is whether the "Scott Foresman" program is more…

Pearson Education contracted with Empirical Education Inc. to conduct five randomized experiments to determine the effectiveness of its "Scott Foresman Science" ("SFScience") curriculum and associated materials. This report addresses the experiment in Federal Way Public Schools in Washington State. The primary purpose of this…