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Education in private schools costs more and has more quality than education in public schools in the US and other countries. The awareness that most people prefer to send their children to private schools should make public schools rethink their curricula to provide better education for children.

A previous structural model of Walberg's theory of educational productivity (Reynolds & Walberg, 1991) was tested with a national probability sample of 2,535 10th graders for science achievement and attitude. Using data from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth, a 3- wave design incorporated information from students, teachers, and parents. Results indicated that a revised mediated-effects model fit the data best and accounted for substantial variance in Grade 11 science achievement (56%) and attitude (44%). The variables prior achievement, home environment, exposure to mass media through reading, and instructional time had the greatest total effects on science achievement. Prior attitude, home environment, motivation, and prior achievement made the greatest total contributions to science attitude. Although there were different weightings of the factors between the present study and Reynolds and Walberg i 99 1), both studies support a mediated-effects model of educational productivity.

Educational psychology mediates between the disciplines of psychology and education. Scholars have seldom agreed on a single definition of the field but have incorporated knowledge from several areas. The discipline of educational psychology was fostered primarily in the United States by such eminent psychologists as William James, Edward L. Thorndike, and James McKeen Cattell. Over the past century, several philosophical and scientific movements influenced the field, the most recent example being cognitive theory. In 1990, the first extensive citation analysis was conducted, illustrating the field's increasing maturity and diversity. Educational psychologists have many opportunities to shape policy during the current period of national educational reform.

Walberg's (1981) nine-factor productivity model was tested with a national probability sample of 3,116 adolescents. A three-wave longitudinal design incorporated data from students, teachers, and parents to construct a latent-variable model of science achievement. A revised model provided a better fit than five alternative specifications, including a direct-influence model used in 23 previous studies. The revised model was also supported by cross-validation on a split-half subsample. Eight productivity factors contributed in diverse ways to science achievement. Prior achievement, peer environment, and the amount and quality of instruction had positive direct effects. Instructional time also proved instrumental in the achievement process by mediating the effects of other factors, including mass media, peer environment, and class environment. Home environment and motivation had the greatest indirect effects, particularly mediated through prior achievement. The implications for improving educational performance are discussed.

Throughout the 1980s, accountability was watch-word of public policy. Health, social service, and educational programs are--more than at any time in history--being required to demonstrate their effectiveness. The Teenage Health [...]

Members of the Teenage Health Teaching Modules Evaluation Expert Work Group collaborated on this article to discuss what was learned from the evaluation, how the findings might be interpreted and [...]

A comparison of 12 of the most widely implemented education programs for at-risk students can help educators choose a direction as they respond to increasing demands for school improvement. Policymakers [...]

A NATION AT RISK foreshadowed the modern accountability movement. While the word 'accountability' never appears in Risk, its call for higher academic standards and its focus on student achievement as [...]

Students at the margins may be at risk, learning disabled, low-achieving, or gifted and talented. By dispensing with labels and other traditional approaches, we can help them all. The way [...]

Changes in education should be grounded in a knowledge base derived from research, and such a base is now beginning to take shape. By analyzing the content of 179 handbook [...]

Volunteers may cost organizations money because they require recruitment, training and scheduling but these people generate substantial benefits compared to the amount spent on them. Schools are ideal places for volunteers. The greater the family and community involvement in schools, the greater the students' achievement. School volunteer programs may even inspire children and young people to give their time to community service.

Historical analysis of the psychological traits and childhood environments of 55 leading poets, novelists, and dramatists indicated that outstanding traits and conditions of childhood can be identified and serve as portents of future accomplishments. (CL)

Reading achievement and attitude scores of a National Assessment of Educational Progress sample of 9-year-old students were multiply regressed on one another on home environment variables. Correlations and partial correlations of achievement with home environment, quality of instruction, and leisure time television watching were found. (Author/DF)

The recommendations set forth in "Developing Character: Transmitting Knowledge," a recent statement signed by prominent scholars and educators, are reviewed here for principals. The statement focuses on the importance of education for character development. (Author)

Data from a national sample of 1,955 17-year-olds were used to test a model of educational productivity involving ability, motivation, quantity and quality of instruction, and home and classroom environments. A number of factors were found to be significant predictors of student outcomes. (Author/MT)

A metaanalysis of elementary school computer-assisted instruction (CAI) research found that lower achievers profit more from CAI; it is more effective in primary grades; boys may learn more than girls; drill and practice produces highest effect sizes; and no relationship exists between year of study publication and effect size. (MBR)

Academically successful schools need to master student discipline and accept that character development is as important as academic development. Provides recommendations on how schools can do both. (MD)

A synthesis of 15 empirical studies shows that homework consistently benefits elementary and secondary students' achievement and attitudes, especially if it is commented upon or graded. (MCG)

Desegregation does not appear to be a significant factor promoting learning. Rather, more individual attention to students in the schools and educational support and stimulation at home (irrespective of race or social status) can greatly boost student achievement. (Author/GC)

This study of 26,279 high school sophomores attempted to correlate fixed and alterable conditions which influence student achievement in academic subjects. Major differences in achievement appear to be due to fixed characteristics of students and outside school experiences, not to the private-school superiority hypothesis. (Author/MT)

Motivation and nine other factors were measured for 970 students in grades five through eight in a study of factors predicting achievement and predicting motivation. Results are discussed. (Author/MT)

To probe the association of reading achievement with factors in learning, the scores of 2,890 13-year-old students from a National Assessment of Educational Progress sample were regressed on 24 indexes of the factors, singly and as a set. Achievement showed diminishing or eventually negative returns to eight time variables. (Author/BS)

In this introduction to the applicaton of meta-analysis as a quantitative synthesis technique, several alternative approaches to research synthesis are described. Their advantages and disadvantages, as compared to those of the techniques of meta-analysis. Decisions that must be faced by the prospective user of meta-analysis are described. (Author/CL)

Describes a theory of educational productivity that demonstrates the relationship between instructional practices and student outcomes. Identifies and discusses nine factors related to increasing student learning: ability, development, motivation, instructional quality, learning time, home environment, classroom social group, peer group, and use of out-of-school time. (KH)

Data on 30,030 sophomores in the "High School and Beyond" project were analyzed to test the private school superiority hypothesis for science achievement. The supposition that private schools are superior to public schools in producing science achievement is rejected. Other factors related to achievement are noted and discussed. (JN)

Factors which appear to affect learning are reviewed: student characteristics of age, ability, and motivation; amount and quality of instruction; home and classroom environment; peer influence; television; school and principal effects; and financial expenditures. (GDC)

The first of 10 papers providing a state of the art of research synthesis in special education, the introduction/overview stresses the importance of applying scientific techniques and standards to the evaluation and summarization of substantive research findings. (DB)