This year the Center on Education Policy (CEP) analyzed data on the achievement of different groups of students in two distinct ways. First, it looked at grade 4 test results to determine whether the performance of various groups improved at three achievement levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced. Second, it looked at gaps…

This year the Center on Education Policy (CEP) analyzed data on the achievement of different groups of students in two distinct ways. First, it looked at grade 4 test results to determine whether the performance of various groups improved at three achievement levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced. Second, it looked at gaps…

In this study we investigate how prior knowledge influences knowledge development during collaborative discovery learning. Fifteen dyads of students (pre-university education, 15-16 years old) worked on a discovery learning task in the physics field of kinematics. The (face-to-face) communication between students was recorded and the interaction…

Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, offers to a select group of community college students from around the U.S., an intensive summer program called Exploring Transfer. Exploring Transfer, which recently completed its 21st summer season, is hailed as an affirmative-action program that provides a much-needed educational boost to its diverse,…

The present research examines the achievement-related implications of establishing friendships with high-achieving versus low-achieving classmates. Fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-grade students (N = 929) participated. During the fall and spring semesters, the report card grades of children and their friends were obtained and children completed…

Evidence of public and private interest in programs designed to strengthen the institution of marriage and reduce the number of children growing up without both their parents is growing. Robin Dion addresses the question of whether such programs can be effective, especially among disadvantaged populations. She begins by describing a variety of…

This paper reports and discusses the principal findings of an Australian study exploring the decisions of high achieving Year 10 students about taking physics and chemistry courses (Lyons, 2003). The study used a "multiple worlds" framework to explore the diverse background characteristics that previous quantitative research had shown…

In this study we examined how good and weak students of literature interact with short literary stories. We focused on differences in the use of cognitive and affective reading activities, and in the extent to which good and weak students adapt their activities to (parts of) the story they are reading. 19 Dutch tenth-grade students from 8 classes…

This book reports on the Illinois Valedictorian Project, an ongoing longitudinal study of the life paths of 81 high school valedictorians. Chapter 1 describes the 1981 high school graduation of the valedictorians and traces the diverging life paths of two top working-class students. Chapter 2 plots the road to the top of the high school class.…

This paper reports on the latest phase of a multiyear interdisciplinary research project aimed at describing the characteristics of highly successful classrooms for minority students. The first phase was a study of literacy instruction in 40 4th and 5th grade classrooms in Denver (Colorado) schools. This study provides a detailed explanation of…

As part of a five-volume series this volume presents biographical sketches of persons of Asian American heritage who have made contributions to American life. Asian Americans have often been subjected to racial and ethnic prejudice, as have other easily identifiable groups of Americans. The series, written at a reading level of grades 5 to 6, but…

As part of a five-volume series this volume presents biographical sketches of persons of Asian American heritage who have made contributions to American life. Asian Americans have often been subjected to racial and ethnic prejudice as have other easily identifiable groups of Americans. The series, written at a reading level of grades 5 to 6, but…

As part of a five-volume series written at a reading level for grades five to six and as a tribute to the contributions Asian Americans have made to the United States, this volume presents biographical sketches of Asian Americans who can serve as role models for today's youth. The profiles in the series show the triumph of the human spirit. Volume…

This collection of biographical sketches presents role models of Asian American descent for American children. As part of the five-volume series written at a reading level for grades five to six, the success stories of the individuals profiled in this volume, and who have encountered racial prejudice and discrimination, remind all of the unique…

As part of a five-volume series, this collection of biographical sketches of Asian Americans who have made contributions to life in the United States profiles individuals who are role models for all children. Written at a reading level for grades five to six, the biographies feature Asian Americans of different ethnic backgrounds, exploring the…