Presents data from a study of 12-year-old English-as-a-Second-Language students in metropolitan Toronto and their significantly unsatisfactory educational development in language and literacy skills. Discusses implications of these findings, particularly with regard to educational change to help marginalized student groups. Finds that ESL students…

The purpose of this study was to examine how various opportunity to learn (OTL) variables impact student outcomes and whether these effects are consistent across different subject areas. In this study, we examined the impact of OTL variables on student performance on English and algebra assessments. Despite the differences in the subject areas, 3…

Having celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2005, the Advanced Placement (AP) program has received quite a bit of attention in the past few years due mainly to its exponential growth in popularity. While much of this attention has been positive, a significant amount of criticism has attacked the assumptions of the AP program, aligning it with…

This study explores the relationship between mathematics and English achievement and mathematics and verbal self-concept and investigates whether these relationships are invariant with respect to student ability and gender. Data from 16,033 10th grade students who completed both the base and the first follow-up student questionnaire of the…

College instructors of English need to use selected strands from the educational psychology arena in teaching so that students may achieve more optimally. Each student needs to experience a quality English curriculum. A quality English class emphasizes instructional procedures which are conducive to achieving, growing, and learning on the part of…

This summary provides data on program results for students who participated in New York City's English Instructional Services (EIS) program during the 1984-85 academic year. Approximately 61,000 students from 108 high schools received reading and/or writing instruction during that school year. The report includes: (1) an introduction with…

A study was conducted at Butte College to determine the effectiveness of a developmental writing course (Eng 102) by examining comparative achievement and persistence in a subsequent freshman composition course (Eng 210) and comparative persistence and achievement in course work in general. Analyses of data on all 3,497 students who enrolled in…

Studies involving different populations were involved in this four-part evaluation of the impact of non-graded, multi-selective English on high school students. Study A involved students who consistently scored high or low in percentile gain in the four ability groups, to ascertain any pattern of courses selected, sequences of courses attended,…

Fifteen inner-city senior English classes in a New York City high school participated in this study of the effect of behavioral objectives on achievement in English sentence skills. Students were pretested with a measure of tolerance of ambiguity and a test consisting of correct sentences, sentence fragments, and run-on sentences. Teachers then…

Reviews literature on sex differences revealing that a comparison of boys' and girls' achievement in English is not a straightforward matter and that further research in this area is needed. (DF)

The tenth in a series of studies investigating the educational context and outcomes for high school students with disabilities (SWDs), this study explored the use of a Question Exploration Routine as a means of enhancing the performance of students with disabilities in ninth-grade inclusive content classes. Participants were 134 students, with and…

A case study, part of a larger 5-year Excellence in English (EIE) research project, focused on the Dade County (Florida) School District's Division of Language Arts/Reading. Over a 2-year period, four middle and high school English programs in Dade County were studied as part of the EIE project; this part of the project focused on the professional…

Argues that the present concern about students' declining achievement in English is neither a new phenomenon nor one based on fact, but is, rather, part of the perennial dissatisfaction with the younger generation. (MM)

Discusses students' need for a sense of belonging and self-worth and how teachers can meet that need in their classrooms, resulting in more confident students and higher quality work. (HTH)

An unsettling odyssey through the world of high school composition shows a need for a tough new approach in teaching students to write. (Author)