This paper looks at the popularity of after-school mathematics by focusing on the Kumon and Russian School of Mathematics models. In 1954, Toru Kumon, a high school math teacher in Japan, designed a series of math worksheets to help improve the test scores of his son Takeshi, a second grader. Toru's goal was to teach Takeshi how to learn…

With Massachusetts' school closure extending until the end of the 2019-20 academic year, Pioneer Institute urges that Massachusetts schools offer meaningful online and virtual learning programs, doing everything possible to eliminate problematic inconsistencies across Bay State school districts. Pioneer further urges Massachusetts to develop and…

"Commitment and Common Sense" tells the inside story of how Massachusetts became a national model for education. Twelve years after the passage of the state's comprehensive education reform law in 1993, Bay State student scores rose to the top of "the nation's report card" (the National Assessment of Educational Progress) in…

Charter schools represent an increasingly important form of school choice in the United States. Charter schools are public schools, with a difference. Compared to traditional public schools, they are exempted from some of the state laws and regulations that govern traditional public schools. In this way, parents come to have a greater number of…

Although many may be surprised at the growth of homeschooling during the past few decades, the real surprise is probably how that growth happened and that it continues. Home school advocates and practitioners have succeeded despite a lack of funding, recruiting efforts, publicity, and grant money from philanthropic billionaires. They have faced…

While many Americans might agree on the importance of preparing young people for democratic life, civic education receives relatively less attention than other school subjects. Student performance on civic assessments reflects the limited focus of schools on civic learning. While many individuals and organizations have sought to address the poor…

Special education paraprofessionals are often employed to support students with disabilities in general education classrooms absent the special education teacher. Little research exists to determine what school administrators think about this practice. The purpose of this study was to learn from special education administrators in Massachusetts…

KIPP KEY Academy in Washington, D.C. North Star Academy in Newark. Roxbury Prep in Boston. Amistad Academy in New Haven. These, and perhaps two hundred other high-performing schools nationwide, are the bright lights of the charter school movement. Despite social and economic disadvantages, their students not only trounce their district peers on…

Educators and policymakers increasingly recognize that in middle school, a combination of strong academic preparation, close monitoring, and good support is pivotal to success in high school. But few middle schools have structured themselves so explicitly to deliver the double wallop of academic and counseling attention needed to get their…

Since 1966, the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) has operated in suburban communities in Massachusetts as a voluntary desegregation program. In interviews, nine white educators revealed their perspectives of the METCO program in their district and discussed their beliefs about the ways that race and whiteness intersected…

Education Resource Strategies (ERS) works with school and district leaders to help them more strategically use resources--people, time, and money--to improve student performance. They have found that many school districts begin creating small high schools without a clear sense of how much they will spend or how to ensure that small schools…

The guide provides an overview of Massachusetts' programs for gifted and talented students with information on resources for program development. The first section provides a rationale for the education of gifted and talented students. Section II presents summaries of nine statewide programs, highlighting goals, identification methods, curriculum,…

THE USE OF CASES DRAWN FROM THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE WAS EVALUATED AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURE USING 108 SECONDARY SCHOOL CLASSES IN BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, AND PHYSICS LOCATED IN WIDELY DISTRIBUTED GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS. THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE CASES INSTRUCTION METHOD (HOSC) IN CHANGING…

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Making Schools Safer for LGBT Youth: Despite Signs of Progress, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students Say Harassment Persists (Michael Sadowski);…

Since 1915, when the Americanization "movement" came into being, the American people have joined dozens of Americanization societies, listened to hundreds of people who declaimed Americanization, and read thousands of dissertations, wise and otherwise, on the same theme. For several years past, Americanization movements have been…