The appropriateness of innovative educational concepts for students from a low socioeconomic status (SES) or ethnic minority background is sometimes called into question. Disadvantaged students are supposed to benefit more from traditional approaches with Programmatic Instruction (PI). We examined Developmental Education (DE), an innovative…

This study examines the association between classroom order in 4th and 5th grades and student achievement growth over a school year. A three level transactional model tested the effects of classroom order on students' rates of growth in math and reading during the school year controlling for starting achievement levels, student risk factors, and…

In response to Mr. Kozol's December article, Mr. Slavin maintains that, while everyone is entitled to form his or her own opinion of Success for All, Mr. Kozol misrepresented the program. In particular, Mr. Kozol neglected to mention the substantial gains made by students in the very schools that he is so concerned about. (Contains 2 figures and 9…

Many argue that it is not at all idealistic to think that K-12 teachers can differentiate instruction to meet all children's needs while also adhering to standards and state performance testing. This article defines differentiated instruction, discusses its critical elements, and provides tips on how to start differentiation. Probably,…

The empirical evidence about whom charter schools serve is extensive but inconclusive. Some studies conclude that America's charter schools serve a larger percentage of minority and low-income students than do the nation's traditional public schools (TPS) (U.S. Department of Education, 2004). Other studies find charter students are not more…

This article considers the possibility that school-based uses of new technologies might actually exacerbate the educational disadvantage of already disadvantaged social groups--particularly, learners from low socio-economic status populations. It draws on some recent international studies that indicate how minority, poor and urban students may be…

The effects of Chapter 1 (Education Consolidation and Improvement Act) reading pull-out programs on the reading achievement of participating students was studied for 30 fifth- and sixth-grade students from a Chicago (Illinois) elementary school serving a low socioeconomic neighborhood with a minority enrollment of 99 percent. Fifteen students had…