In accordance with the Florida Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP), students attending public schools that receive failing grades are eligible to receive vouchers to attend a higher performing public or private school. An analysis of standardized test performance across a 2-year period compared students attending "F" schools to…

There have been outcries in both the academic sector and in the popular press about the high and increasingly rising use of suspensions as a discipline measure. Among the negative consequences noted has been a detrimental impact on the academic achievement of suspended students. This article presents the results of longitudinal retrospective…

This study reports on a 5-year project to improve urban, middle-level student achievement through the implementation of two initiatives. First, teachers at a participating New York City middle school engaged in weekly curriculum-planning workshops to reformulate classroom curricula into interdisciplinary, discovery-oriented activities. Second,…

When confronted with the problems of urban school districts, such as an ever-increasing achievement gap, the underfunding of school districts, increased shortages of qualified teachers, greater emphasis on accountability, and the loss of public confidence, African American superintendents have considerable difficulty leading their school…

This article discusses the inherent political nature of educational systems and the tensions that arise between this political nature and the agenda to promote education as a public good. Current debates about the efficacy of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) are used to illustrate this point. Although there is promise in the goals of NCLB, the…

The study focused on the impact of flexible grouping on student learning during a period of time in a high-needs school. The study tracked non transient, below-goal elementary students on multiple literacy assessments during a 5-year flexible grouping implementation. Results showed that the percentage of students attaining mastery increased in 16…

Education, at all levels, opens routes to achieve higher incomes, status advancement, and upward social mobility. The goal for most families is to present an opportunity for their children to receive a jump on acquiring knowledge to afford this achievement. Schools within our education system declare they offer a quality education for African…

A number of factors have been identified that affect academic achievement of learners. Among these factors, organizational culture seems to be a key factor. This is a complex factor characterized by many variables. To classify the variables included in organizational culture, a theoretical model was constructed. Two sets of variables were…

This study examines the effects of attending religious revival services on the educational and behavioral outcomes of urban students. Specifically, the influence of attending the most recognized revival of the past decade is analyzed. Urban student attendees from throughout the United States attend, are surveyed, and then are randomly selected to…

Using data from the 1992 National Education Longitudinal Survey, this study examined the effects of student religious commitment on academic achievement. Results indicate that very religious urban and non-urban children performed better on most academic measures than their less religious counterparts, even when controlling for race, gender, and…

Examines four models for secondary education (magnet schools, school reform models, small high schools, and Catholic high schools) that have been shown to strongly improve educational outcomes for urban minority children, or at least strongly influence the reform movement, explaining why the comprehensive high school design has failed in urban…

Asserts that closing the racial achievement gap does not necessarily require more competition and choice, but does require that educational objectives are clearly defined, practices adequately aligned, and evaluations based on long-term effectiveness. Highlights the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), discussing sociological and historical…

Examined the perceptions of African American university students and how they constructed meaning from high school experiences. Five urban students attending a moderately selective midwestern U.S. university participated in a focus group. Overall, the students had transcended the attitudinal disconnect from serious schoolwork and separatism. The…

Conducted a meta-analysis of 21 studies to determine the impact of parental involvement on minority students' academic achievement. The impact of parental involvement was significant for all minority groups studied. Also for all groups, parental involvement affected all academic variables by at least two tenths of a standard deviation unit.…

Examined what happened to high schools placed on probation or reconstituted in 1996 and 1997. Data were collected while monitoring the effects of a systemwide effort to redesign inner city Chicago high schools by enhancing personalism at all city high schools and increasing the pressure for academic improvement. Though little of the reorganization…