Examined the attitudes of parents whose children participated in an urban, elementary magnet school, emphasizing reasons for selecting that school, participation in school activities, effects of changing schools, and satisfaction with the program. Surveys and interviews indicated that parents were generally very satisfied, though there were…

Surveyed Canadian high school students to note differences by gender in attitudes toward mathematics. Results indicated that for both genders, certain variables associated with mathematics success deteriorated as adolescence progressed. Younger girls experienced more mathematics anxiety and considered themselves less competent, but many such…

Surveyed parents of middle school students to assess types of in-home parental support for students' mathematics learning. Found that students with the most supportive parents demonstrated higher mathematics achievement and more positive mathematics attitudes than students with the least supportive parents. "Motivator,""Resource Provider," and…

Examined the effects of traditional versus learning-style-responsive study strategies on eighth graders' mathematics achievement, frequency of studying, and attitudes. Found that students applying learning-style-responsive strategies had significantly higher mathematics achievement and attitude scores than students using traditional strategies. No…

Examined the impact of implementation of middle school practices on student achievement in North Dakota schools participating in the Middle Grade School State Policy Initiative. Found that changes in composite grade-equivalent scores from grades six to eight were higher in reading vocabulary, language mechanics, study skills, science, and social…

Reports the impact on instructional practice of a mathematics professional-development program for middle-grade teachers which enhanced content and pedagogical knowledge within an infrastructure supporting collaboration and reflection. Qualitative and quantitative data indicated that teachers' curricular approaches became more balanced; classrooms…

Investigated differences in frequency of nomination to gifted/talented programs between Hispanic and Anglo students, examining teachers' perceptions of nominated and non-nominated students on the Scales of Rating Characteristics of Superior Students. Teacher nominations strongly related to ethnicity, with Hispanic students much less likely to be…

College students completed evaluation-of-teaching surveys in five different courses to develop an evaluation instrument that would provide results concerning faculty performance. Two questions examined students' expectations regarding grades. Results indicated a significant degree of expected grade inflation. Large proportions of students doing…

Two studies evaluated the Computer- and Team-Assisted Mathematics Acceleration course (CATAMA) in Talent Development Middle Schools. The first study compared growth in math achievement for 96 seventh-graders (48 of whom participated in CATAMA and 48 of whom did not); the second study gathered data from interviews with, and observations of, CATAMA…

Discusses the importance of a knowledge of adolescent development for practice. Reports findings of a survey of 258 middle and high school teachers that was administered to assess their perceptions of the importance of general developmental principles, their knowledge of such principles, and the influence that increasing knowledge would have on…

Discusses an ethnographic study into the phenomenon of resistance in a middle school, focusing on seven students in seventh grade. Proposes the need to negotiate classroom life in ways that take into account individuals' backgrounds, strengths, and needs, and the need to create a place where identity and difference can exist in respectful…

Explored the variables that affect enrollment in eighth-grade algebra for African-American students. Studied constructs that fell into three broad categories: individual characteristics, home/parent variables, and school-related variables. Assessed data from the base-year student and parent data files of the National Education Longitudinal Study…

Examined the relationship between perceived multiculturalism of schools, ease of learning, academic achievement, and intent to stay in school among eighth and eleventh graders. Surveys of Mexican-American and European-American students indicated that Mexican-American students who considered their environment multicultural also perceived that…

Used data from the Current Population Survey to examine the schooling progress of Asian, Hispanic, black, and white students. Consistent with national trends, females progressed in schools as rapidly as, or more rapidly than, males of their same ethnic and immigrant generation group. The only exceptions were white women in the immigrant…

Investigated the effectiveness of cooperative study groups among high-achieving first-year preservice teachers. Intervention group students participated in groups led by peers or upper-year students. Students completed surveys assessing the groups. Researchers compared intervention and non-intervention students' grades and survey data. Results…