The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) advocate an integrated model of science instruction for middle schools in which the science disciplines are connected rather than separate. This model, used by other countries that are consistently successful in science, has several key benefits, including enhanced student learning and better…

NGSS Early Implementers is a four-year initiative created to help eight California school districts and two charter management organizations, supported by WestEd's K-12 Alliance, implement Next Generation Science Standards. The Initiative focuses on NGSS implementation in grades K-8 and incorporates the integrated course model (preferred by the…

Educators and policymakers have debated in recent years how best to improve academic performance in the middle grades. In the absence of outcomes-based research about what works, school districts have reshuffled grade configurations, bolstered their focus on "academic rigor," and worked to ensure that students are engaged in school as…

Using data on mean achievement of third and sixth graders in individual California schools, coupled with salary data for those students' teachers, this study tested whether teacher salary variables are associated with student achievement, when socioeconomic characteristics are controlled. Differences among schools in the amount of teachers' pay…

As a baseline measurement of what is being learned about computers in California, a study, originally reported in "Student Achievement in California Schools: 1982-83 Annual Report," investigated the knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of a representative sample of 6th and 12th graders. The survey was developed by experts on computer…

An assessment was conducted in 1983 of the skills, knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of California sixth and twelfth grade students in the area of computer technology. Cognitive test questions were written to conform to a set of objectives used in the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) curriculum; attitude questions were obtained…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Show Me the Money: Alliance Analysis Finds That States Could Generate Millions More in Wages by Raising High School…