Since the Coleman Report (1966), educational researchers have tried to identify school properties that make a difference in student achievement and overcome the negative influence of low socioeconomic status. We theorized that academic optimism was a latent construct that enhanced student achievement and that enabling school structure provided a…

The New York State Education Department conducts a Pupil Evaluation Program (PEP) in which each year all third, sixth, and ninth grade students in the state are given a series of achievement tests in reading and mathematics. The data accumulated by the department includes achievement test scores, teacher characteristics, building and curriculum…

The authors explored the relationship between motivation and affect in upper elementary mathematics classes from the perspective of flow theory. They also investigated the relationship between students' motivation and teachers' instructional practices. Students' reported classroom experiences formed 4 factors--Social Affect, Personal Affect,…

Parental ratings of 695 adopted Chinese girls' internalizing, externalizing, and total problem behaviors were analyzed in 4 stages to: (1) Compare adjustment profiles of Chinese adoptee samples with relevant US normative data; (2) analyze age differences in behavioral adjustment differences of Chinese adoptees; (3) examine interrelationships among…

The DeKalb County (Georgia) School District has developed a leadership assessment program called the Profile for Assessment of Leaders (PAL) that assesses eight generic competencies: (1) relating to other people, (2) communicating effectively, (3) making decisions, (4) planning and organizing, (5) supervising and evaluating, (6) professional…

This research report examines various teacher and student behaviors and their effects on academic achievement. Pupil achievement levels were assessed before and after observing and recording teacher and student behaviors occurring in the classroom. Correlational data was collected from these classroom observations and program evaluations. The…

This report explores the validity of measures for eventual use in assessing attitudinal and cognitive skills of delinquent adolescents. Ten measures of a battery along with a reading test were administered to adolescent males, 14 to 18 years of age, held in pretrial detention. The 11 tests were validated against 37 criterion variables encompassing…

A review of recent classroom research regarding writing processes reveals ways in which contextual factors affect student learning. Teachers should investigate the relationship between teaching and writing development in their own classrooms. (Author/CB)

Responding to questions regarding what research tells us about the importance of school size to student achievement, this report reviews recent research on the topic. It concludes that to the extent that small schools are better able than large schools to create forward planning conditions, then small schools appear to be a promising strategy. The…

Examines the relationships between class, ethnicity, and the natural community life cycle and determines how these factors bear on the racial composition of suburban communities. Suggests that the variables associated with the ecological life cycle model are not significant predictors of change in suburban racial composition. (Author/APM)

Reading and mathematics test data from hearing impaired students 8 to 20 years old were examined in relation to five personal student characteristics (age, severity of hearing loss, age at onset, gender, additional educational handicaps) as well as three potentially manipulatable ones (hearing aid use, communication method, educational setting).…

Proposes a model in which parental social status (PSS) affects school achievement and self-concept in the academic domain. Also studied how perceived PSS affects self-concept in social domains. Findings supported the model with one exception: PSS was unrelated to academic self-concept in the urban setting. (RJM)

Examined 547 college students' adjustment. Results indicated significant main effects for gender but not for alcoholic parentage. Gender differences occurred for alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and other problems. Findings suggested that, in terms of adjustment, college students from alcoholic homes should not be distinguished from the general…

Examined relationships between quality of center-based child care and infant cognitive and language development. Subjects were 79 African American 1-year-olds. Found that quality of infant care positively correlated with scores on standardized assessment of cognitive development, language development, and communication skills. Quality of care in…

This paper critically reviews the literature on the links between temperament and social development in children and adolescents. Social development is broadly defined to include externalizing and internalizing behaviour problems, prosocial behaviour and social competence. It concludes that there are clear links between specific dimensions of…