Currently, students from low-income backgrounds are underrepresented at selective colleges and universities in the U.S. With the introduction of many programs aimed at increasing the numbers of these students at selective institutions, it is important to understand how the characteristics of an institution can affect educational outcomes. Using…

Nationwide, public school spending in the United States has more than doubled in the past 30 years, while there has been no appreciable improvement in academic outcomes. The United States spends more of its gross national product on education than any industrialized country, yet languishes near the bottom of lists comparing those countries'…

Discusses data collection and presents data analysis of NAEP's (National Assessment of Educational Progress) career and occupational development (COD) assessment, designed to determine how knowledgeable young Americans are about the work of the world and how well developed their basic skills (needed to obtain almost any job) are. (SH) Aspect of…

The hypothesis that monolingual and bilingual German-Canadian speakers differ in their attitudes toward German language and culture and in their achievement in the study of German was tested. The results were compared to those obtained by Gardner and Lambert in their French-American studies, in which it was found that home language background is…

In the 20 years since the federal report on education "A Nation at Risk" appeared, much has been written on test scores of students in the United States versus their counterparts elsewhere. One of the issues is whether their scores are in fact inferior, or merely a statistical difference due to their universal schooling philosophy. Since…

Describes the following organizations concerned with international comparative educational research: (1) the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA); (2) the International Assessment of Educational Progress (IAEP); (3) the Board of International Comparative Studies in Education; and (4) the International…

Argues that international assessments that show U.S. educational inferiority are unwarranted, reviews the history of these assessments, and evaluates the major explanations of the achievement differences. It also examines the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of curriculum-centered explanations because of their relevance to school reform.…

Hostility towards intelligence tests is based on perception that such instruments are decisive in placing ethnic and linguistic minority students in ineffective educational placements. It is imperative that discussions about intelligence and cognition be guided by the presupposition that there are certain cross-cultural skills all students must…

For more than 50 years, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) has been conducting comparative studies of educational achievement in a number of curriculum areas, including mathematics and science. TIMSS 2011 represents the fifth cycle of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS),…

Decentralization and an increased emphasis on community and parent participation represent significant education reform trends over the past decade. These reforms take place in the context of increased emphasis within Education for All (EFA) on improving education quality and outcomes and on strengthening accountability for results. They require…

The United States has experienced a significant increase in educational attainment since the 1970s. Young adults in school today are more likely than their parents to finish high school, attend college, and graduate from college. Yet, in California the share of working-age adults who do not have a high school diploma or certificate of General…

A longitudinal study was conducted to evaluate the U.S. Employment Service's Specific Aptitude Test Battery (SATB) for plumber/pipe fitter from three aspects: technical adequacy of the research; fairness to minorities; and usefulness in the selection of individuals for training as plumber/pipe fitter apprentices. The validation sample consisted of…

This document represents a comprehensive summary of current research and theory on the sources of innovation and creativity, both in individuals and organizations. Based on the recurring concepts in the existing literature, the document concludes with some recommendations for how education systems can best foster these attributes in students. Both…

Investigates educational experiences and successes of Jews in Europe and the United States. Looks in particular at eminent Jewish scientists and their countries of origin, concluding that their success depends not on intellectual superiority of Jews as a group, but on level of education and possibilities of social mobility. (JHZ)

The concepts of literacy and health have been evolving and broadening, and interest in the connections between the two has been growing in Australia and elsewhere. However, the scope of practices related to health literacy in the health fields and in the adult literacy education field have remained fairly static. Research has identified the…