This study examined the effects on, and contribution of, input and process factors on student achievement in Louisiana public schools. Socioeconomic and minority status strongly predicted school achievement. Discrepancy between white and African-American students' achievement increased with grade level. Student attendance substantially affected…

Describes a Camden (New Jersey) study that assessed the effects of student mobility and stability on achievement and examined interactions between the instructional program and student mobility. Results indicated direct instruction was as effective as traditional instruction that was aligned with a specific standardized test, and it produced…

Four different vocabulary lists based on the study of children's writing were consulted to generate a basic spelling list of 850 words. The Basic Spelling Vocabulary List provides words that children most often use when writing and that are important in beginning reading instruction. (SM)

This study investigated questions asked during tutoring by 27 college students about research methods and by 13 seventh graders about algebra. Student achievement was positively correlated with the quality of questions after students had some experience and training in tutoring, but the frequency of questions was not. (SLD)

Reports a study that compared the effects of two teacher-directed prereading instructional procedures (directed reading activity versus story grammar/structured overview story mapping) on elementary students' literal and inferential reading comprehension. Story mapping produced better comprehension among third graders but no differences in…

Reports a study that assessed the effects of reciprocal teaching on the comprehension of poor reading comprehenders who read nonfiction material in a regular classroom. Heterogeneous reading groups from two elementary classes participated in reciprocal teaching. Data analysis showed there were significant improvements in comprehension that were…

A meta-analysis including 96 experimental studies considers the effects of reinforcement/reward on intrinsic motivation. Results indicate that reward does not decrease intrinsic motivation, although interaction effects must be examined. An analysis with five studies also indicates that reinforcement does not harm intrinsic motivation. (SLD)

Why established institutional forms of schooling have been so stable and why most challenges do not succeed is studied through case studies of reform that include the Dalton Plan; the Eight-Year Study, a secondary school reform plan; and the new model flexible high school of the 1960s. (SLD)

Reciprocal teaching is an instructional procedure designed to teach students cognitive strategies that might result in improved reading comprehension. This review of 16 quantitative studies generally supports the efficacy of reciprocal teaching but also indicates the need for further research into cognitive strategy instruction. (SLD)

This review brings together 21 studies on the long-term effects of school desegregation on the life chances of African American students. These studies draw on perpetuation theory, a macro-micro theory of racial segregation. They support the idea that interracial contact in school can help blacks overcome perpetual segregation. (SLD)

The cooperative elementary school model uses cooperation, particularly cooperative learning, as a philosophy for educational change. A 2-year study of the cooperative elementary school model in 2 treatment and 3 comparison schools involving 1,012 students demonstrates positive effects on academic achievement and social relations. (SLD)

An integrative review of United States research on English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners' cognitive reading processes supports a relatively good fit with preexisting reading theories and views generally thought to describe native-language readers. However, a subset of factors special to ESL learners is suggested. (SLD)

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 with hierarchical linear modeling, this study identified individual-level and school-level variables influencing the decision to drop out of middle school. At the individual level, grade retention is the single most powerful predictor. (SLD)

Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine relationships between students' sense of community, poverty level, and student attitudes, motives, beliefs, and behavior among a diverse sample of 24 elementary schools. Within schools, the sense of community of individual students was significantly associated with student outcome measures. (SLD)

Processes and outcomes associated with Reading Recovery and Success for All reading instruction programs were studied for first graders in 3 schools (n=184). Reading Recovery strongly benefited tutored students, but Success for All was more beneficial for special education students and untutored students. (SLD)