Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS), this report examined the prospective relationships between educational expectations and academic achievement among students (n = 10,262) surveyed and tested in Grades 8, 10, and 12. Cross-lagged analyses indicated that between Grades 8 and 10 the path from achievement to…

Since 1998, the author's classroom has doubled as a training ground for students to experience archeology, research, service learning, outreach, and political activism, all within the history curriculum. In 1998, the author began teaching a class he called Research History. It was based on the concept of getting students involved using primary…

This report presents the number of high school graduates, the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR), and dropout data for grades 9 through 12 for public schools in school year 2006-07. The counts of graduates, dropouts, and enrollments by grade (which serve as the denominators for the graduation and dropout rates) are from the National Center…

As technology advances continue to impact K-12 schools, online education options offer alternative choices for both teaching and learning. Library media specialists, long committed to providing physical and intellectual access to instructional materials, have responded to changing needs in this online world. They had previously created a virtual…

Our main goal in this study was to explore whether the use of models in high school molecular genetics instruction can contribute to students' understanding of concepts and processes in genetics. Three hundred and nineteen students from four comparable groups of 11th- and 12th-grade students participated. The control group (116 students) was…

The California State University (CSU) requires entering freshmen to be proficient in English reading and writing, as demonstrated on proficiency measures. Currently, approximately 46 percent of incoming college freshmen need remediation in English reading and writing. To assist these students, CSU instituted an Early Assessment Program (EAP),…

This study tested whether pro-alcohol peer influences and prosocial involvement account for increases in drinking during the transition into emerging adulthood and whether these mechanisms differ depending on college attendance and/or moving away from home. The authors used structural equation modeling of prospective data from 825 young men and…

This study explored the ways gender is accomplished in varied social contexts during the peer revision process in a secondary English classroom. Using a post-structural feminist theoretical framework, an analysis of classroom discourse provided a basis for understanding the performance of gender during peer revision, the effects of gender…

Attempts to identify the root causes of individual stress have been made for centuries. The result has been the development of a myriad of approaches and explanations as to the cause of stress by psychologists, educators, researchers, and self-help authors. Each approach carries a degree of validity in the context that individuals experience…

A longitudinal design was used to test the hypotheses that career development indices account for significant amounts of variance in the prediction of high school success, and account for unique variance beyond that of academic predictors of high school success. The participants included 188 11th-grade students who were followed-up in the 12th…

Non-completion of senior secondary schooling continues to be a matter of concern for policy makers and practitioners in Australia today. Despite the efforts of governments to improve participation and retention rates, 30% of students drop out of school before completing Year 12. Further, some students remain at school, just biding their time until…

This paper describes findings from a study to explore Singapore A-level (Grades 11 and 12, 16-19 yr old) students' understanding of ionisation energy, an abstract and complex topic that is featured in school chemistry courses. Previous research had reported that students in the United Kingdom commonly use alternative notions based on the perceived…

This technical brief examines the current alignment between the New Mexico Standards Based Assessment (NMSBA) standards and the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics framework. It looks at the extent to which current state assessment standards cover the content on which 2009 NAEP assessments will be based. Applying…

This technical brief examines the current alignment between Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests (OCT) and the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAPE) mathematics framework. It looks at the extent to which current state assessment standards cover the content on which 2009 NAPE assessments will be based. Applying the methodology used by…

This Technical Brief examines the alignment between the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) mathematics assessment standards and the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics framework. It looks at the extent to which current state assessment standards cover the content on which 2009 NAEP assessments will be…