This dissertation examines the efficacy of a bottom-up comprehensive school reform (CSR) program by evaluating its impact on student achievement, attendance, and behavior outcomes through an explanatory mixed methods design. The CSR program (Gear Up) was implemented in an urban junior high school over the course of seven years allowing for…

Classroom teachers in the 1990s are encountering more and more students who are uninterested in learning. In fact, some students begrudge even opening up their books whether it be to read, spell or solve math problems. These negative attitudes are believed by many teachers to have a significant bearing on the students' ability to perform well in…

In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment (TSA); for the first time in the NAEP's history, voluntary state-by-state assessments (37 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Virgin Islands) were made. The sample was designed to represent the 8th grade public school population in a state…