Two researchers who re-examined a North Carolina district's exemplary SAT performance discovered that this district's gains paralleled those in the rest of the state. The dropout rate also remained high. Most investigations of music, art, and academic learning show positive correlations, but no causal effects. (MLH)

Three former secretaries of education--William Bennett, Lauro Cavazos, and Terrel Bell--have touted state-level SAT scores as proof that educational financing does not matter. Recently, Brian Powell and Lala Carr Steelman adjusted scores for participation rate and detected a very strong relationship between expenditures and SAT scores. Bigger…

Examines the recent decline in verbal scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and suggests that demographic shifts, as well as a movement toward a more iconic, oral society resulting from videotapes, are responsible. The use of hypermedia and multimedia is discussed, and the definition of literacy is considered. (LRW)

Third International Mathematics and Science Study results show that high-scoring states and schools do not need standards; low scorers have too many other pressing problems to utilize standards. Recent studies indicate that the proportion of college students requiring remedial courses has been exaggerated by critics. (MLH)

Debunks some goofy ideas--notions that schools control our economic destiny, money matters not in education, and American students' performance is uniformly dismal on international standardized tests. The United States offers more educational opportunities than other nations. Detractors and advocates of public education are given Rotten or Golden…

Describes United States literacy characteristics, based on April 2000 reports from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Discusses Angoff methods for evaluating validity of high-stakes testing programs in Massachusetts and Virginia. (MLH)

This review summarizes research findings on the topics of impulsive-reflexive cognitive style of problem solving, first graders' behavior suggesting racial segregation, a reanalysis of "High School and Beyond," children's collaborative problem solving while sharing a computer, the match between tests instruction, and students' choice of…

Examines dropout rates, standardized test scores, commission reports, university enrollments, per pupil expenditures, special education costs, employment trends, and other indicators to show that U.S. education is not in the sorry condition its critics claim. Rereading "A Nation at Risk" (1983) discloses a xenophobic screed having little…

Earlier metaphors of schools as factories and children as raw products have had powerful effects on opinions about schools. However, an analysis of education spending and test scores, international and domestic, shows that U.S. schools offer good value. Comparison of public schools in nonpoverty areas with private schools reveals little…

Reviewing evidence from high school completion and dropout rates, college attendance, test scores, and international comparisons leads to the conclusion that U.S. schools do a pretty good job of teaching students who are ready to learn. Given what schools have to contend with, their performance is indeed impressive. (SLD)

In order to assess the locally developed curricula, the Cherry Creek School District of Colorado developed several objective-referenced tests focused on objectives that instructional staff have identified as important for all district students. The local assessments are designed to work in conjunction with the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBSs) to…