"Refining Remediation" is the fifth installment from the "Keep the Promise" initiative, a three-year research project led by the Mass Insight Education and Research Institute in conjunction with the Boston, Springfield, and Worcester Public Schools. Since 2003, "Keep the Promise" has been investigating school reform's…

There is a "gaping separation" in academic achievement between minority group children and White children. Research shows that minority group children can achieve when the following issues are addressed: high expectations geared to clear standards, timely intervention for struggling students, excellent teachers with good ethnic…

This policy statement adopted by American Federation of Teachers delegates in the summer of 1992 discusses two great tasks for U.S. education: improving the traditional model of education, while creating a different kind of learning institution to replace the traditional school. How to proceed in both areas is outlined. (SLD)

Describes Connecticut's ongoing school reform efforts, which began around 1985. The reform process involves creating, supporting, and revising a coherent set of policies for improving teacher learning that are also aligned with standards for students. Planning includes state department staff in collaboration with teachers and principals. The state…

This report examines state policies and policy development activities regarding student preparation for college. Three policy areas are the focus of the analysis: (1) raising admissions requirements for public four-year colleges, (2) providing regular feedback to high schools on student preparation, and (3) establishing statewide merit aid…

To measure and report on the extent and quality of students' understanding of geography, the National Geographic Society initiated and provided support for a national assessment of students 17 years old and in the 12th grade. Since 1969, the Nation's Report Card, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), has been responsible for…

New studies dispel the fear that high academic standards set up some students to fail or drop out. This research finds that raising academic standards has a positive impact for all students in the following ways: (1) students take more demanding courses, learn more, and score higher on tests; (2) nationwide, dropout rates are falling and high…

Oklahoma curriculum objectives for kindergarten through 12th grade present skills for the core and integrated curriculum areas and methods to assess student achievement. An overview of developmentally appropriate programs for kindergarten precedes objectives for social skills, creative skills, language arts skills, mathematics skills, motor…

Policymakers adopt basic skills tests as admission requirements for programs of teacher education to increase the accuracy of admissions and, ultimately, to increase the competence of the teaching force. The tests are regarded as an independent measure of student academic competence. A multiple regression study of the incremental predictive…

The statute authorizing the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) calls for the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) to set appropriate achievement levels in all areas and grades tested by the NAEP. These levels are intended to establish what students should know, not just what they do know. In 1990, the NAEP posited three…

The document presents recommendations voted by the Quality Education Conference III participants as the most pressing items of unfinished business in New Mexico education. Recommendations for public schools are listed under the following subheadings: curricular concerns, communication, staff improvement, and fiscal support. Recommendations for…

The proceedings are presented of the hearing before the Congressional Subcommittee on Education, Arts and the Humanities of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources. They reveal both the strengths and limitations of the proposed Educational Excellence Act of 1989. The proposed act would promote excellence in American education by: recognizing…

A basic-skills testing remediation model for older, reentry college juniors was studied longitudinally and cross-validated against previous findings. Attention was directed to the rates of academic success and attrition for students entering an upper-division university in 1981 as juniors and seniors and majoring in business administration. The…

A comprehensive survey was conducted seeking the opinions of 40,000 secondary school teachers on the impact of school reform proposals. Over 13,500 teachers returned questionnaires, for a response rate of 33.9%. In this report an evaluation is presented of the school renewal movement drawn from the perspective of the teacher. The survey included…

Seven prepared papers, with questions from the audience and answers by participants make up the proceedings of this conference on minimum competency testing. A number of conceptual and technical problems were raised, as well as questions about the effects of minimum competency testing on the curriculum and the psychological effects of the program…