The main purpose of this study is to measure the attitudes of teachers toward speech varieties used by speakers of Black English and to determine whether there is any evidence that those attitudes are linked to pupils' classroom performance in reading. Also investigating is whether exposure to information about and experience with varieties of…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) U.S. Department of Education Holds High School Summit: Diploma Should Be a "Road Map to a Prosperous, Purposeful…

Randolph County Vocational Technical Center, Elkins, West Virginia, received a grant in 1997 for a project that was part of the High Schools That Work (HSTW) initiative to improve academic skills of career-bound students. The superintendent and faculty knew that improving achievement meant reaching out to the three home high schools to bring them…

"Research Highlights" is an annual publication documenting developments in the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)'s research programs for the previous year. The 2005 edition highlights research on the following themes: (1) Improving outcomes for Indigenous students; (2) Understanding transitions from school to adulthood;…

Despite some improvements over time, national statistics point to a continuing gap in the average English literacy and numeracy achievement of Australian indigenous students when compared with non-indigenous students. A longitudinal study by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has been monitoring growth in the English literacy…

Addressing the needs of English language learners, remedial readers, avid readers, gifted readers, dormant readers, reluctant readers, and readers in content areas, this book's goal is to help middle school teachers connect their students to reading. The book offers multiple lists of trade books that different types of middle school readers enjoy;…

As part of a series of stories about real-world schools that have achieved substantial success in school improvement over multiple-year periods, this report provides an in-depth look at one school's efforts to improve student learning. The school profiled is Highland Elementary School, located in Salem, Oregon, serving a student population of…

The 1996 High Schools That Work (HSTW) Assessment provides ample evidence that HSTW strategies can make a big difference in student success. Students who completed an upgraded academic core and challenging vocational courses met HSTW goals and were actively sought by employers and postsecondary schools. However, too many career-bound high school…

In the assessment literature, a general recommendation has been to disaggregate scores and other data for students with limited English proficiency (LEP). This has rarely been done for most non-English language background (NELB) students in the United States, with the partial exception of Spanish speakers. Nationwide Spanish speakers make up the…

This document is a study of standardized tests by sub-group, ranking the states according to scores divided (in turn) by gender, race and ethnicity, location of school, family income, parental education, teacher qualification and experience, limited English proficiency, special education participation rate, and per-pupil spending. The tests…

On June 9, 2003, the Task Force on the Education of Maryland's African-American Males was convened by the Maryland K-16 Leadership Council (chaired by the University System of Maryland Chancellor William E. Kirwan, former Maryland Acting Secretary of Higher Education John A. Sabatini, Jr., and Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S.…

This report summarizes Austin Independent School District's (AISD's) 2005-2006 bilingual and English as a second language programs.

Background: The Waterford Early Reading Program (WERP), a technology-based program for early elementary grades, was provided through Arizona all day kindergarten funds to kindergarten students in 15 Title I elementary schools in the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) in the 2005-06 school year. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the…

This Kids Count data book examines statewide trends in the well-being of Texas' children. The statistical portrait is based on indicators in ten general areas of children's well being: (1) number of low birthweight babies; (2) rate of prenatal care; (3) infant mortality rates; (4) child death rates; (5) number of births to single teens; (6)…

In an effort to understand the schooling process, a longitudinal study was conducted of children enrolled in three elementary schools. Children entering first grade in a middle class white school, an integrated lower class school, and an all-black lower class school were followed to the end of third grade. This final report of the study presents…