Two approaches--Harnisch/Linn and Rasch-based--to comparing district-level student performance to system-level student performance were examined, using results for 3,607 students on a curriculum-referenced mathematics test. Both approaches addressed relative mean performance on categories of common items. A modification of one approach and an…

An evaluation of the Alternative Certification (AC) Program of the Dallas (Texas) Independent School District is summarized. The 110 AC interns (25 males and 85 females) and their training are described, and their attitudes toward teaching are reported. Implications for projected teacher shortages are discussed. (SLD)

Locus of control as a potentially inhibiting factor in the acquisition of science-related attitudes was studied using 60 tenth grade biology students, 89 eleventh and twelfth grade chemistry students, and 61 college elementary education majors. Correlations between Rotter's Internal-External Scale and seven subscales of the Test of Science-Related…

Knowledge of the United States Constitution was investigated for 111 randomly selected college students. Many students had little or no knowledge/understanding of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. No significant differences were found between those who had read the Constitution and those who had never read it. (SLD)

The relationships of age, gender, and educational level with moral development in 94 middle-class 28- to 55-year-old adults (32 males and 62 females) were studied. Subjects were administered Kohlberg's Moral Judgment Interview (MJI). Males scored higher on the MJI than females. Findings support the continued development of moral judgment through…

The effects of educational reform policies in Texas were studied as they relate to teacher burnout. A survey was mailed to 3,000 teachers. In all, 700 teachers responded, and interviews were conducted with about 120 of them. Teachers experienced considerable emotional exhaustion, and the effects of paperwork were significant. (SLD)

Correlations between (1) Michigan school districts' expenditures, various supports, and revenues; and (2) each district's educational background, median family income, racial composition, and dropout rate were analyzed. Data used in this study were obtained from the Michigan Department of Education. (SLD)

Attitudes of university educators toward interdisciplinary cooperation were studied. A mail survey of 176 academics (professors, researchers, and administrators) in 9 fields at 3 universities indicated that problem-solving concerns, utilitarian calculations, and the image of social scientists' competence had significant impacts on…

The congruence among students' predictions of grades before taking short-answer and essay tests, their estimations of grades after taking the tests, and the actual grades was studied for 69 college students. There was a significant, but slight, positive relationship between students' judgments and their actual grades. (SLD)

To study the effect of video-production coursework on the interpretation and aesthetic evaluation of television programing, 30 undergraduates--20 with different degrees of and 10 with no video-production experience--viewed a television program and completed a questionnaire. The groups responded differently to the presentation, demonstrating the…

The relationship of teacher participation in Quality Circles to teacher satisfaction was examined for 64 elementary school teachers participating in 9 Quality Circle decision-making groups. Participation in the Quality Circles did not meet subjects' needs for achievement, recognition, or growth; and it did not increase job satisfaction. (SLD)

Research on science education (case studies, cost-effectiveness estimates, surveys, and experiments), particularly for primary and secondary schools in low- and middle-income areas, is reviewed. Meta-analysis suggests that science education in developing countries can be made more productive. Effective ways of promoting science education are…

The claim that knowledge alone accounts for variance of memory and development (MAD) is critiqued. Topics include the movement toward a knowledge-based view of MAD and problems with this approach; data suggesting that domain-independent strategies influence MAD; and evidence for a domain-independent tool of developmental import. (SLD)

A meta-analysis was conducted of 107 classroom and laboratory studies concerning the effects of expecting a recall, recognition, essay, multiple-choice, or true-false test on students' subsequent achievement. Laboratory studies did not generalize well to classrooms. In classroom studies, subjects performed better when they knew which test type to…

Literature on word processing (WP) and writing in elementary classrooms is reviewed. Five propositions are constructed to provide a schema for understanding what is known and needs to be learned about young writers and WP. WP's effects on students' composing processes, written products, attitudes, and keyboarding/systems skills are considered.…