The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a continuing and nationally representative assessment of what this nation's students know and can do. NAEP has often been called the "gold standard" of assessments because it is developed using the best thinking of assessment and content specialists, education experts, and…

The design and use of a chemistry practice exam instrument that includes a measure for student mental effort is described in this paper. Use of such an instrument can beneficial to chemistry students and chemistry educators as well as chemical education researchers from both a content and cognitive science perspective. The method for calculating…

Comparative data from three middle schools, all in one large urban school district in the Pacific Northwest, are used to identify criteria for evaluating student discipline policies and to generate theoretical statements of how school administration affects student behavior. An introduction summarizes the study's goals and assumptions and…

Reviews the literature on school effectiveness, school size, and school culture. Compares characteristics of urban and rural schools, examines strengths and weaknesses, and considers policy alternatives for improving their effectiveness through restructuring school governance. (FMW)

This study examined whether students perform better academically if they are in a multi-ethnic school setting, in the minority in a predominantly single-ethnic school, or in the majority at a predominantly single-ethnic school. The study looked at three ethnic/racial groups: White, Black, and Hispanic; and analyzed urban students' mathematics and…

This study investigates the self-concept of 37 Cambodian children who have recently resettled in Richmond (Virginia) after experiencing war, turmoil, and refugee camp life in Southeast Asia. The study group consisted of 19 Cambodian males and 17 Cambodian females, whose ages ranged from 5 to 14 years. About 17 percent of the respondents were in…

An ethnographic study is presented, which attempts to gain a better understanding of the gap between California high school students who are at-risk, who eventually drop out, and who are academically successful. Focus is on families, teacher student relationships, peer influence, and social context. A sample of 10 high achieving and 10 low…