This large-scale evaluation of Indiana's Prime Time, a funding mechanism designed to reduce class size or pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) in grades K-3 examined the academic performance of nearly 11,000 randomly selected third graders on the state mandated standardized achievement test as a function of class size, PTR, and presence of an instructional…

As the nation celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the 1954 Brown Decision, it is important to examine the achievement gap between children attending resegregated public schools and their counterparts attending integrated schools. The achievement gap is directly impacted by four specific interdependent types of deficits: moral, human capital,…

As part of the National Adult Literacy Survey in 12 states, approximately 1,250 adults in Iowa were surveyed as representatives of the 2.1 million adults in the state. The aim of the survey was to characterize literacy skills based on performance on diverse tasks that reflect the materials and demands that adults encounter every day. Fourteen to…

The relative importance of family background, student-body, and teacher characteristics on the reading skill of white and black teenage students in public and private schools was assessed. Data gathered by the Current Population Survey of the U. S. Bureau of the Census was used to replicate the analysis reported in Chapter three of "Equality…

An investigation was conducted into the difference between two levels of comprehension: that which black high school seniors bring to the reading of English prose and that which they achieve from actual reading. A pre- and post-test treatment was administered. No significant difference was found between pre- and post-reading comprehension of these…

This two-volume report, and Summary of Key Findings, presents findings from the congressionally mandated National Assessment of Title I on the implementation and impact of the program. Volume I [see ED499017] contains key findings on the implementation of the program under No Child Left Behind, and Volume II presents a report on follow-up findings…

The reliability and stability of Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) scores were examined for the recreational and academic subscales and for the total scale. The responses of 718 students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades were included in the analyses. A seven-day interval between testings was used. The recreational and academic subscale…

This study was designed to answer the question "Does excessive absenteeism affect student academic achievement?" During the 2002-2003 academic year, 188 students attending grades 3 through 5 at an urban Tennessee elementary school with a high poverty level participated in the study. Demographic data were gathered to provide descriptive…

This article describes lessons learned in a case study of three high-poverty/racially mixed elementary schools in Louisville, Ky. An approach that included: 1) setting specific, measurable goals, 2) frequent monitoring of student work, and 3) applying distributive leadership elements enabled two of the schools to significantly decrease the…

This report presents results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1994 trend assessments in science, mathematics, reading, and writing. To provide a numeric summary to students' performance on the assessments, the NAEP used a 0 to 500 scale for each subject area. Comparisons of average scale scores are provided across the…

An important feature of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is its ability to document trends in academic achievement on core curriculum areas over an extended period of time. This report presents the major results of the NAEP 1996 science, mathematics, reading, and writing long-term assessments. These results chart trends going…

Reasons why African American and Hispanic American students tend to have lower scores than do White students on standardized mathematics and reading tests are examined, focusing on a study from Texas. Results of the Texas Examination of Current Administrators and Teachers (TECAT) for approximately 900 school districts show that where the…

The Metropolitan Achievement Test scores for Boston, Massachusetts, have improved from 1987 to 1988, with scores for 8 grades matching or exceeding the 50th percentile as established in 1986. Reading scores improved over the previous year in seven grades. Yet this "good news" provides little information about real reading skills or…

In April 2002, Jeffrey Fouts (2002) presented a longitudinal study of student performance in Washington using Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) results from 1998 to 2001. Although constrained by the lack of individual student identification numbers at that time, he concluded that success on the WASL in the 4th grade was a strong…

Jeb Bush campaigned for Governor on a clear and bracing set of education reforms in 1998. Having won office, he immediately pursued a dual track strategy of education reform: standards and accountability for public schools, choice options for dissatisfied parents. Florida lawmakers followed these reforms with additional measures, including…