This study examined records from students who graduated from Ontario secondary schools in the York Region Board of Education from 1991-94. The study investigated repetition of successfully completed senior-level courses and analyzed resource cost and subject distribution. Results indicated that the students improved their marks in the repeated…

This study examined two kindergarten literacy frameworks (environment and events) and their effect on kindergartners' literacy development. Observations, interviews, and pre- and postmeasures of literacy achievement indicated that students in the emergent literacy kindergarten made significantly more literacy gains than those in the reading…

Achievement test scores were analyzed in relation to individual- and school-level factors in a national sample of 10th graders (n=2,535) to investigate the relative importance of school and individual factors in determining science learning. Hierarchical linear analyses showed that individual measures accounted for most of the variance. Previous…

This study examined the effectiveness of an urban peer mediation program. Third- and fourth-grade students were trained as conflict managers to mediate schoolmates' conflicts. They mediated 323 conflicts during the school year; most successfully. Most conflicts involved physical and verbal attacks. Mediation usually resulted in agreements to avoid…

Reports a study that examined similarities and differences in perceptions of K-12 school administrators, counselors, and teachers about student self-esteem, and how they perceived their impact on student self-esteem. Surveys yielded noteworthy similarities and differences in their perceptions of student self-esteem and statistical significance…

Reports a study that explored the measurement of likely dimensions of commitment to teaching, drawing on commitment theory and conceptualization. Items from the Administrator and Teacher Survey of 1984 were used to analyze factor models of increasing dimensionality. Results indicated that a multidimensional measurement of commitment is warranted.…

Determinants of young children's mathematics skills (home environment, socioeconomic status, and maternal cognitive test scores) were statistically analyzed. Analysis of data from subsamples of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth indicated that all three factors, but particularly home environment, had significant effects on young childrens'…

Reports a study that examined the long-term stability of the construct of children's attitudes toward reading. Elementary students completed the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey twice over three years. Results indicated that children's attitudes about reading exhibited a consistent decline; girls expressed more positive attitudes toward…

Two school districts that implemented a whole language curriculum were studied to determine how well students learned traditional reading and writing skills. Analysis of standardized testing, teacher and administrator interviews, and whole language theories indicated students were learning skills as well as they had with a traditional curriculum.…

The incidence of cheating and lying on an experimental measure was examined from a sample of high school students who attended either a religious (Catholic) or a secular (public) school. Student surveys indicated that the groups were similar in moral reasoning level and in lying and cheating behavior. Level of moral reasoning was not correlated…

This study examined black 4th and 8th graders' mathematics achievement and attitudes. The effects of gender, economic status, self-concept, and learning style were studied. Students were from economically-stressed families and possessed negative mathematics attitudes. Economic status predicted 4th graders' achievement. Learning style and gender…

Several measures of fraction knowledge were developed and administered to 540 fifth-grade students in 22 classrooms. Students were asked to represent their conceptual knowledge in several task contexts and formats. Level of representational knowledge predicted performance on problem solving, justification, and explanation tasks. The assessments…

The relationship between initial school functioning and subsequent mobility was examined among 2,524 low-income elementary students. Data were collected on academic, behavioral, and school adjustment. The students were then trailed for three years; during this time mobility was observed. Most mobile students had poorer initial school behavior and…

Describes development of the Multicultural Teaching Concerns Survey, a self-report survey designed to assess the intensity of teachers' concerns about teaching diverse students. Participants (N=146) were preservice and inservice teachers. Analysis revealed four multicultural teaching concern factors, two of which roughly supported related…

This study examined reading instruction and its effects in schools with two different philosophical stances (process and traditional approaches to reading). Observations of six classes, three using traditional and three using process approaches, indicated that there were far more similarities than differences. Differences in school philosophy made…