Using Longitudinal Study of American Youth data, researchers investigated factors related to middle and high school students' learning or growth in statistics, algebra, and geometry. Results indicated substantial growth in all three content areas in both middle and high school. Factors related to student learning included student characteristics…

Collected data on elementary and secondary schools' rates of daily student attendance and chronic absenteeism and on specific partnership practices that schools implemented to help increase or sustain student attendance. Results suggest that schools interested in improving or maintaining good attendance can benefit from taking a comprehensive…

Explores how analyses and visions of U.S. society shape the appeal of progressive pedagogy but focusing on the evolution of political and educational ideas among African American civil rights activities who created alternative schools for black children in the 1960s and 1970s. Concludes that support for progressive pedagogy depends on the…

Critical historical analysis of the apparently contradictory policies and practices within American Indian education reveals a patterned response to cultural and linguistic diversity, as the federal government has attempted to distinguish "safe" from "dangerous" Indian practices. (SLD)

Discusses James Conant's ideas about the democratic role of the comprehensive high school and addresses just how those ideas have been treated by history. Major historical events have converged in the post-World War II period to make Conant's view of the democratic high school problematic, at least in large metropolitan areas. (SLD)

Draws on data from research on charter schools to question the extent to which "democratic" and "market-based" schools are dichotomous. Makes the case that free-market and deregulatory educational reforms such as charter schools are perceived to be highly democratic by their neoliberal advocates. Suggests that progressive supporters of charter…

Suggests that globalization places limits on state autonomy and national sovereignty, affecting education in various ways. Educational policy and its contributions to citizenship, democracy, and multiculturalism will face unprecedented challenges if the logic of fear, exacerbated by the events of September 11, 2001 prevails. (Author/SLD)

Discusses current Chicago, Illinois, school reform in the context of economic restructuring, the drive to become a "global city," and the cultural politics of race. Focuses on high stakes testing and accountability. Suggests that education policies are part of a cultural politics of race aimed at the control and regulation of African American and…

Interviewed 216 students in kindergarten through grade 3 about the economics of meeting families' needs for shelter. Responses indicated that most understood that people have to pay for shelter, but most were vague about renting apartments or mortgages. Discusses findings in reference to curriculum and instruction in the early grades. (SLD)

Conducted a meta-analysis of 46 studies addressing the validity of classifying poor readers by the discrepancy between IQ and reading skills. Children who are poor readers but do not display such a discrepancy are not eligible for special education under the learning disability category. Results provide little evidence in support of the validity…

Interviewed 25 high school seniors and juniors from three schools in the northeastern United States about their images of America. Three themes predominated: (1) inequity associated with race, gender, socioeconomic status, or disability; (2) freedom, including rights and opportunities; and (3) diversity of race, ethnicity, culture, and geography.…

Studied the extent to which experiences designed to help preservice teachers take advantage of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute moved them to acquire deeper knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement. Preservice teachers were from teacher education programs that differed with respect to situated activity, discourse communities, and authentic…

Surveyed secondary school teachers in schools with block and traditional scheduling regarding their preparation for using various instructional practices, their use of those practices, and the appropriateness of employing them as part of block and traditional scheduling. Overall, few differences were evident in opinions about level of use,…

Investigated elementary teachers' assessment and grading practices. Teachers conceptualized six factors when grading students, emphasizing academic performance and achievement- enabling behaviors. Teachers used three types of assessments: constructed-response, objective, and teacher-made major examinations. They differentiated between recall and…

Examined the validity of Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST) scores as college admission criteria. Examination of teacher education program graduates' American College Test (ACT) scores, PPST subtest scores, PPST scores, undergraduate grade point averages (GPA), and student teaching ratings highlighted a concurrent relationship between…