This interactive electronic report provides an overview of an innovative new instrument developed by researchers at the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) to authentically measure teachers' formative assessment practices in mathematics. The Teacher Analysis of Student Knowledge, or TASK, instrument assesses mathematics…

Beginning in 2005, the GE Foundation initiated a commitment of expertise and financial resources to a set of urban school districts to improve public education and enhance student achievement in mathematics and science. This report analyzes the impacts of the GE Foundation commitment to the partner districts by examining trends in student…

This study was designed for two major goals, which are to describe students' mental models about atom concept from 6th to 8th grade and to compare students' mental models with visual representations of atom in textbooks. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected with 4 open-ended questions including drawings which were quantified using the…

The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the use of interim assessments and the policy supports that promote use to improve instruction, focusing on elementary school mathematics. The authors use the term "interim assessments" to refer to assessments that a) evaluate student knowledge and skills, typically within a limited time frame;…

American public education faces increasing pressure to demonstrate the competence of all of its students as they progress through the grades and, especially, as students exit their high schools. In response, policymakers are developing sophisticated accountability and support systems in efforts to steer schools toward improved performance. These…

The present review examines research on the effects of technology use on reading achievement in K-12 classrooms. Unlike previous reviews, this review applies consistent inclusion standards to focus on studies that met high methodological standards. In addition, methodological and substantive features of the studies are investigated to examine the…

Rarely in educational research do researchers have access to data that allow them to empirically explore the impacts of programs on individual student learning over long periods of time. This element of Consortium for Policy Research in Education's (CPRE) evaluation of the America's Choice comprehensive school reform design is one of those…

Performance theorist Herbert Blau's "The Audience" (Baltimore and London, Johns Hopkins Press, 1990) is an important yet neglected theoretical text on theatre audience. Deconstructive, dense and allusive in nature, Blau's text creates a real challenge for his reader. This paper presents a study of "The Audience" employing what I am calling…

This article reports on research which examined the impact of The National Theatre's Transformation drama project on young pupils' reading, mathematics, attitude, self-concept and creative writing in primary schools. Two of the schools taking part in Transformation were matched to two Control schools in the first two years of the project.…

Using PISA 2000 data, this article examines cross-national variation in rural mathematics achievement among 15-year olds in 24 industrialized nations. Rural mathematics scores were significantly lower than scores in urban and medium-size communities in 14 of 24 countries. However, patterns were complex. Most commonly, a linear relationship…

Presents an investigation into associations between students' (n=3215) perceptions of their interactions with teachers, the cultural background of students, and their attitudinal and cognitive achievement outcomes. Finds that students' attitude scores were higher in classrooms in which students perceived greater leadership, helping/friendly, and…

Using standard data sources, information is presented for each state on the importance of rural education to the state's overall educational performance and the urgency for state policymakers to develop explicit rural education policies. The 8 importance and 11 urgency indicators for each state are presented in table and graph form, and…

An analysis of state college and university faculty salaries by region, rank, and discipline during a seven-year period is reported. It reveals that the ranges among salaries have been increasing. (MSE)

Patterns of degree selection in 1970-71 and 1978-79 are compared with each other and with that of men. The rate at which women's representation in a field changes is judged by an index of rate of change, and the redistribution of women among fields is analyzed. Possible explanations are offered. (MSE)

Ratings of scholarly journals by department heads in seven disciplines (anthropology, economics, geography, history, philosophy, political science, sociology) are presented by journal title, and criteria and methods for assessing journal quality and visibility are examined. Possible use of such information in institutional personnel decisions is…