This study examined dropout rates for the School District of the City of Saginaw, Michigan. Although a longitudinal study of dropouts has been conducted by the school district for over 25 years, this study begins a new format to coincide with State requirements. The dropout rate is defined as the percentage of students in grades 9-12 who leave…

In 1987, the administration of North Carolina Competency Tests to public school sophomores resulted in 94.4% passing the reading test and 90.6% passing the mathematics test. Rates were similar to rates for the 1986 sophomores, but were higher than rates for juniors in the 1978-1983 period. The 1987 passing rate in mathematics was lower than for…

In this article, we test: (a) the relation between school-based extracurricular participation and indicators of positive and negative development across a range of activity contexts, and (b) a mediation model linking activity participation, prosocial peers, and development. Extensive survey information was collected from a predominately White…

This essay compares two curricular treatments of the Holocaust, one that resulted from a full-semester, 10th grade elective course taught at a public high school, the second constructed through a quarter-long, 8th grade unit taught at a charismatic, evangelical, fundamentalist Christian private school. In brief, the study examines the Holocaust's…

In the 1992-93 school year, the 13th year of the Arizona Pupil Achievement Testing Program, the State Board of Education mandated testing at grades 4, 7, and 10. The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) were administered to grades 4 and 7 and the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP) at grade 10. Pupil scores are reported by subject, subtest,…

The Stability of Self Scale has been used to infer the stability of self-concept from responses collected on a single occasion. Using the large, nationally representative Youth in Transition data for 10th grade boys in public high schools in 1966, Stability of Self responses were related to the variability in self-esteem responses collected in 4…

Application of the Achievement Formula to three school districts in northeastern Ohio is described. The formula--developed in association with the Effective Schools/Teacher Effectiveness Research Program--is a paradigm for district self-study, whereby elementary and secondary schools analyze student achievement data. Data are displayed on a…

Causal path analysis was used to determine the direct and indirect influences of intellectual ability, quality of instruction, achievement motivation, quantity of academic coursework, and time spent on homework on high school students' learning, as measured by their grade point averages (GPAs). Other relevant influences on grades were controlled.…

Suggests that peer group instruction is one of the most significant benefits to have emerged from the process approach to writing instruction. Presents a teacher's classroom research on the peer group response method. (ARH)

This study is based on the National Education Longitudinal Survey of 1988 (NELS:88) sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics. NELS:88 is a nationally representative sample of approximately 25,000 eighth graders who were enrolled in public or private school in 1988. About 21,000 students were resurveyed in 1990, a second follow-up…

A plan is presented for a curriculum that shows how African Americans have been left out of decision making, stereotyped negatively, and denied resources. The project is intended to be a base for future studies of human relations issues in order to understand how society operates. Using the contexts of the 1960s and the 1990s, the power structures…

An investigation of biology matriculation tests in Israel was undertaken to assess the use of justifications with multiple-choice items and to compare the effect of three item formats on students' performance. More specifically, the study was designed to determine the: (1) extent to which justifications will differ if the correct answer is made…

Six tests were given to the entire sophomore class (120 males, 104 females) at a suburban school north of Boston before and after particiaption in the Project Adventure physical education program, some goals of which were the development of students' self confidence, improved self-concepts, ability to take physical, emotional, and social risks,…

High school sophomores participating in the second year of Project Adventure, an educational program expanded to include community service, experiential learning, and a rigorous physical education program, showed improvements in physical abililty and self-concept consistent with improvements shown by students in the program's first year.…

The Missouri Mastery and Achievement Tests (MMAT) were developed as a result of the Excellence in Education Act of 1985, which required the state department of education to identify core competencies and key skills in reading/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies/civics and to test a sample of students annually. State-level data…