The U.S. Department of Education's "1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey" indicated that teacher shortages are 50 percent higher in urban schools than in suburban schools. Almost a third of the teachers leave the profession during the first three years and nearly half leave after five years. In schools serving low-income communities,…

Researchers have long investigated whether smaller classes improve student achievement. Their conclusions suggest that class size reduction (CSR) can result in greater in-depth coverage of subject matter by teachers, enhanced learning and stronger engagement by students, more personalized teacher-student relationships, and safer schools with fewer…

This study investigated the relationship between the self-concepts and cultural diversity awareness of 100 European--American pre-service teachers. The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale:2 and the Cultural Diversity Awareness Inventory were administered as a test--retest to ascertain if changes in cultural diversity awareness occurred during a…

The transition from middle school to high school represents a significant event in the lives of adolescents, one that necessitates support from and collaboration among teachers, parents, counselors, and administrators at both educational levels. Successful transitions place particular emphasis on ninth-grade initiatives and can create one of…

This article presents data on the status of school desegregation in Atlanta, Little Rock, and Nashville. Specifically described are integration methods, school population, racial distribution, number of schools, and public school enrollment. The consolidation of the metropolitan and county school systems in these cities is also noted. It is felt…

This study reports correlations among scores from two commonly used individual measures of intelligence, the Revised Stanford Binet and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, and reading subtests of a standardized achievement test with a group of elementary-aged disadvantaged children. The present study employs longitudinal design to assess…

This report presents results from an analysis of the long-term benefits and costs of Success for All (SFA), a school reform program that focuses on promoting early reading success among educationally at-risk students. The program was piloted and implemented in Baltimore elementary schools. This analysis tracks the educational outcomes through…

This study attempts to evaluate the psychologic effects of school desegregation on seventh-, eighth, and ninth-grade students in three Southern cities by using a standardized self-concept scale. Previous research leaves us with the basic assumptions that prior to 1954 black children in seventh, eighth, and ninth grades in public schools in the…

The 1992 Tennessee Education Improvement Act resulted from a successful law suit by smaller and poorer school systems in Tennessee concerning equity of funding. The Act established the Basic Education Program (BEP), which increased the state sales tax rate, shifted state funds from better funded to poorer school systems, and required systematic…

In April, 1919, at the request of the Board of Education of Memphis, Tennessee, the United States Commissioner of Education submitted the conditions on which the Bureau of Education would make a survey of the public school system of that city. This study of the Memphis schools is intended to be a study of policies and practices; not of persons.…

As part of the Federally sponsored School Program Advancing Career Education (SPACE) in the schools of Greeneville and Greene County, Tennessee, an inventory of teacher attitudes toward career education was conducted to aid in assessing a 45-percent dropout rate in the country. An 18-statement questionnaire was administered to 81 city teachers in…

The purpose of this study was to examine rural and non-rural students in order to understand similarities and differences between their learning styles and the ease with which they learned Algebra with a graphic calculator. Two samples of students, one from a rural high school and one from a non-rural one, answered a survey asking about their…

Compares Federal court-ordered school desegregation plans in urban and rural Tennessee school districts. Indicates that approaches differed with varying district characteristics. Suggests that community responses to plans were influenced by such factors as racial composition; customs; leaders' attitudes; environmental and economic conditions; and…

To study the perceived needs of the rural science teacher a random sampling of rural and non-rural Tennessee teachers (200) responded to a survey which addressed several areas of concern. This paper deals only with questions concerning microcomputer use--the availability of computers for teachers' use, frequency of student computer use, frequency…

This study was designed to answer the question "Does excessive absenteeism affect student academic achievement?" During the 2002-2003 academic year, 188 students attending grades 3 through 5 at an urban Tennessee elementary school with a high poverty level participated in the study. Demographic data were gathered to provide descriptive…