1996

(Li)Ability grouping: The new susceptibility of school tracking systems to legal challenges

epicpolicy — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 11:31:40 -0600

Publisher     Harvard Educational Review, 66(3).
Page Numbers     451-470
Summary     In their search for policy tools to promote reform, detracking advocates are increasingly giving litigation serious consideration in their search for policy tools to promote reform. The authors argue that courts can play an important role in pushing forward with detracking and that educational researchers are vital to these efforts. They survey four recent such cases and discuss the presentations made by the researchers who served as experts. Then, based on their review of caselaw, including these recent cases, as well as their review of desegregration literature, the authors conclude that these top down mandates, while unlikely to achieve all of their intended goals, can play an indispensable role in initiating detracking in schools and districts where such reforms are otherwise highly unlikely.

Charter Schools: The Smiling Face of Disinvestment

epicpolicy — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:47:02 -0600

Institution: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

An award-winning 1996 article about the risks charter schools may pose to public education reform and to students.

Creating the conditions for scientific literacy: A reconsideration

epicpolicy — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 16:19:48 -0600

Publisher     American Educational Research Journal, 33(2)
Page Numbers     261-295
Summary     This article explores the way in which scientific literacy has been defined, justified, and operationalized in current proposals for science education reform. The authors suggest that, although the vision of scientific literacy reflected in reform proposals is broad, progressive, and inclusive, it is being implemented in narrow and conventional ways. As a consequence, the authors are not optimistic that current proposals will lead to a significant increase in the scientific literacy of the U.S. population. This article discusses limitations in the current direction of science education reform and examines some alternate ways of thinking about it.

Effects of introducing classroom performance assessments on student learning

epicpolicy — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:26:37 -0600

Publisher Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 15
Page Numbers 7-18

Failed evidence on grade retention

epicpolicy — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:55:16 -0600

Publisher Psychology in the Schools, 33
Page Numbers 251-261

Reciprocal Teaching of Reading Comprehension Strategies for Students with Learning Disabilities Who Use English as a Second La

epicpolicy — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:50:27 -0600

Publisher     Elementary School Journal, 96(3)
Page Numbers     275-293
Summary     This study investigated the efficacy of 2 related interventions on the reading comprehension of seventh and eighth graders with learning disabilities who used English as a second language. All 26 students participated in reciprocal teaching for 15 days and then were randomly assigned for 12 days to 1 of 2 groups: reciprocal teaching with cooperative grouping or reciprocal teaching with cross-age tutoring. Though there were no statistically significant differences between groups on 2 measures of comprehension, students in both groups made significant progress in reading comprehension. Analyses focused on understanding the performance of more and less successful students within groups. Findings revealed that initial reading ability and oral language proficiency seemed related to gains in comprehension, that a greater range of students benefited from strategy instruction than would have been predicted on the basis of previous research, and that students in both groups continued to show improvement in comprehension when provided minimal adult support.

The irony of year-round schools: Mexican migrant resistance in a California community during the civil rights era

epicpolicy — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:10:05 -0600

Publisher     Educational Administration Quarterly, 32(2)
Page Numbers     181-208
Summary     This article examines the Mexican American response to year-round education. It specifically discusses the complexities of a school system that tried to serve Mexican migrant children.