Standarized, multiple-choice tests have become the major criterion for a wide range of school decisions affecting student placement, curriculum format, and teaching style. Improved assessment will not reform education. The more insightful and powerful the assessment tool, the more damage is caused by its misuse. Includes 70 references. (MLH)

Discusses the concept of school readiness and the process of making the transition to school. Reviews early signs of successful school transitions and identifies some fundamentals of young children's early learning environments. Almost all children are eager to learn and show remarkable progress when they are in school environments that tailor…

"America's Kindergartners," a National Center for Education Statistics report, suggests that kindergarten is becoming increasingly academic. Children's scores on the 1998-99 Early Childhood Study-Kindergarten reflected their mothers' educational and racial/ethnic backgrounds. Two-thirds of black and Hispanic kids fall into the lowest…

Research suggests that children should be kept at home until 8 to 12 years old, then begin attending school. Attitudes toward parents, peers, and school can be improved and children can learn more effectively when taught physically, academically, and socially at home in their early years. (PGD)

Most U.S. children have opportunity to participate in one year of publicly supported schooling prior to first grade. Children's school-entry age differs by as much as 18 months. Hours of participation varies widely, as do teachers' academic backgrounds. Rarely are teachers assisted by aides or principals with early childhood education training. To…

During the 1960s, Dorothy Rich used paper cartons, tables, lamps, chairs, electric bills, and other paraphernalia of home life to construct "recipes" to help parents prepare their kids for achieving academic success. Rich's contemporary MegaSkills training program, developed at the Home and School Institute, is highly regarded. (MLH)

How realistic are high school students' educational aspirations? Reviewing the findings of the High School Survey of Student Engagement, Ms. McCarthy and Mr. Kuh note a troubling mismatch between the academic habits of many high school students and what will be expected of them in college. (Contains 1 figure and 19 endnotes.)

One of the main goals of recent education reform efforts, including NCLB, is to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged and minority students and their wealthier, white peers. In this article, the authors present data showing that closing those gaps once they have emerged is no easy task. (Contains 10 endnotes.)

New data from SAT scores, the Second International Assessment of Educational Progress, and other sources show that American public education compares favorably with that of other advanced nations, despite mass media hysteria. Performance levels on academic indicators may reflect demographic factors more strongly than educational system quality.…

Comments on "Kappan's" practice of presenting essays by Presidential candidates concerning their mission for education. (MLH)

President George Bush claims to have increased federal spending on education and favors readiness goals, school choice, voluntary national examinations, and increasing Pell grant awards. (MLH)

Presidential challenger, Governor Bill Clinton, critiques President Bush's record, promising to scrap the existing student loan program and deliver a workable educational reform package. (MLH)

Cites demographic figures showing that U.S. children are an endangered species. Educators alone cannot "fix" the problems of education, because dealing with poverty's root causes must involve health care, housing, transportation, job training, and social welfare bureaucracies. The United States has the resources, if not the will, to reduce the…

Reviews variables from several disciplines relevant to understanding and improving inner-city schools. Neighborhood and other sociological variables, such as the concentration effects of living in poverty areas, are significant. So are teacher competence, school climate, faculty sociometry, student background, and entry-level factors, including…

The National Governors' Association Task Force on Readiness presented policy recommendations to help at-risk children prepare for school and meet new educational standards. Suggested state initiatives include various outreach and preschool programs for low-income families, assistance with basic skills and teacher training, and incentives and…