According to the National Science Foundation, "the U.S. STEM workforce must be considered in the context of an expanding and vibrant global scientific and technological enterprise" (2014). "The National Academy of Sciences further suggests that, without the participation of individuals of all races and genders, the increasing demand…

The purpose of this study was to compare novice and experienced teachers' perceptions of student motivation at the high school level and to determine if the teachers were likely to incorporate research-based techniques. Survey data were collected on the following motivational constructs: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation; performance, mastery,…

In this article, the authors describe a mixed-methods study in which an adapted Motivation to Write Profile (MWP)--the CLMWP--was used to investigate the conceptualizations, perceptions, and practices of adolescent writers. Results of this study suggested that participants held differing conceptualizations of writing, depending on the context. In…

Social science methodologies of intervention programming for college and career readiness, particularly in regard to evaluation, must be situated within a larger context of racialized readiness for college and career. The policy context for this argument is a state-level evaluation of college and career readiness legislation in Illinois using…

This study used a qualitative phenomenological approach within a constructivist paradigm to examine spelling and spelling motivation of four suburban Illinois high school students: two male seniors with LD, one male freshman with ADHD, and one female freshman with LD. The purposes of the study were to determine why students with writing goals and…

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent do CTSOs affect student psychosocial and achievement outcomes (above and beyond stand-alone CTE programs) when controlling for gender and race. Using a cross-sectional descriptive research design, a total of 5,677 students from 10 states were surveyed regarding their high school…

The new faces on the help desk are younger, work for cheap, and may be the tech savviest in the building. This article describes how two IT training programs are teaching students valuable technology skills while providing schools with a much-needed lift to their troubleshooting teams. The programs--Generation YES and Mouse Squad--put students at…

This study is a transcendental phenomenological study that described the experience of students' interest in science from elementary school through middle school grades and the identification of the factors that increase or decrease interest in science. Numerous researchers have found that interest in science changes among children and the change…

Donegan, an educational consultant specializing in 9th grade, asserts that when it comes to truly changing the freshman year, words abound but actions are few. Although everyone involved in the "high school conversation" agrees that the first year of high school is pivotal to success, few schools take on the challenge of truly reshaping…

The "National Dropout Prevention Newsletter" is published quarterly by the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Education in the Urban Context (Ed Lambert); (2) An Interview with Paul Reville, Massachusetts Secretary of Education; (3) Communities In Schools of Chicago (Jane…

This article profiles Toni Billingsley, an African-American teacher teaching Spanish classes at the Academy of Communications and Technology Charter School in the West Garfield Park section of Chicago. This article also describes her unique teaching methods. Billingsley uses clever puns, outright slapstick, sly references to black popular culture…

Personalized learning: Everyone knows it needs to happen, but how? It is one thing to believe in the importance of high school reform. It is quite another to embrace a system that helps every student leave high school with a diploma and plans for postsecondary education or training that lead to productive and self-sufficient adulthoods. This…