Analyzed data for more than 1,000 students in 62 classes in England to focus on the progress made during the first 3 years of schooling. Considered the adequacy of the baseline assessment in predicting later progress and the progress students made. Overall, results show that effective early provision has a positive impact on academic achievement…

Studied homework characteristics and effectiveness in mathematics education for secondary school students using a sample of 1,394 Dutch students in 28 schools. Results show a lack of policy directed at coordination and increase of homework. Amount of homework was the only homework variable related to achievement. (SLD)

Reviews research concerning within-class grouping of students for learning and addresses some issues related to the integration of research on small group instruction raised by S. Prais (1998, 1999). Elaborates on pedagogical techniques that encourage effective small group instruction. (SLD)

Uses findings from previous studies of teacher work context to hypothesize that some features of the school workplace may contribute to greater parent involvement in urban high schools, especially home-school communication and parent volunteering. Discusses the roles of communal school organization and a context of caring. (SLD)

Studied the attitudes of 254 teachers in Cyprus toward their students' errors in mathematics. Teachers who had attended a specialized inservice course in teaching mathematics were more likely to be influenced by cognitive theory and the obstacle theory of knowledge. (SLD)

Studied the relationships between gender, social class, ethnicity, and school success using data from a large-scale longitudinal database, the Dutch Secondary Education Students Cohort. Results show that school success is not always predicted by expected additive or multiplicative effects of the different background variables. Discusses…

Describes an application of multilevel modeling to repeated measures as part of an evaluation of Reading Recovery in 22 schools in England and multivariate models are applied to the within and between school aspects of the design. Results show Reading Recovery to be effective in the short term, but not the long term. (SLD)

Studied the contingency relationship of school organizational health to teacher commitment with multilevel statistical analysis in a survey involving 20 aided primary schools and 423 teachers in Hong Kong. Results indicate that the relationship between school organizational health and teacher commitment is contingent on teacher characteristics.…

Studied structures and relationships in one-step additive and multiplicative problems solved by 450 students in grades 2, 3, and 4. Results show that the facility ratio of the problems differs by structure, situation, and the sequence of data. The ability to solve one-step problems increases with age, but relative problem difficulty is grade…

Reviews results of five recent Australian studies in which interests were related to school subject preferences and choices. Presents multilevel models of data from the most recent study that offer a coherent summary of the interest-school choice relationships. Suggests that J. Holland's "RIASEC" typology provides a coherent account of preferences…

Discusses the consequences for equity issues in testing and evaluation that come with the inclusion of performance assessment components in public examinations. Uses data from the British General Certificate of Secondary Education to show effects on course work offered and gender equity and that student evaluation does not always function as…

Reports on the development and evaluation of a transitional bilingual program for grades 2 through 5. Evaluation results based on achievement of 42 students and 42 comparisons show that the program is more effective than the transition program students typically receive. Discusses implications for education of English learners. (SLD)

Investigated relationships among different types of errors occurring during probability problem solving by 50 graduate students without mathematical sophistication. Categorized errors as text comprehension, conceptual, procedural, and arithmetic/computation errors. Discusses implications for the teaching and learning of probability problem…

Describes the fieldwork aspect of the British study "The Improving Schools Project." Identifies themes emerging from the first phase of the study in 13 secondary schools. Describes these themes: (1) multiple starting points; (2) the complex and interactive nature of school improvement; (3) missing instructional level; and (4 ) importance of…

Analyzes codes of conduct that are a charter component of the "Schools of the Future" initiative in Victoria (Australia), a school reform effort that involves nearly 300 schools. Results show that schools need to emphasize a closer connection between students' rights and responsibilities, align discipline and rewards, and focus on preparation for…