Publicationsavailable for
order or for online viewing
The following is a
complete list of our current publications. Please click on the research
folder to read a brief on each of the available publications.
These publications are free for MERC members.
For non-members, we accept payment by check or purchase order. Please include a
10% shipping and handling fee – referred to as S&H.
How to Order
To order any of our
publications simply:
click in the box to
the left of the item you'd like to order
scroll down and
complete the information requested
This study was designed to describe the initial few months of implementation of an alternative school for ninth and tenth grade students, to evaluate important factors related to student success, and to provide recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of the school. Semi-structured interviews
of administrators, counselors and teachers were conducted, along with document analysis and some observations.
To find out more, view the research brief:
The research team studied leading
school divisions to determine how they use performance-based
assessment for instruction and accountability. They identified
useful formats for local program and policy implementation. To
find out more, view the research brief: Performance-Based
Assessment
Seyfarth, J. (1993, March). Performance-based assessment:
Questions and answers. 63 pp ($10.00)
Seyfarth, J. (1994, July). Performance-based assessment: Lessons
learned from leading edge school districts. 54 pp ($16.50)
Rhodes, J.A., Robnolt, V.J. & McKelvey, S.
(2004). Alignment of classroom assessment with the Virginia
Standards of Learning (SOL).
Report
Available online
The purpose of this study was to use in-depth interviews of students who had left school for academic reasons to identify specific factors in the classroom that they believe contributed to their departure.˜
The study also examined what school drop-outs believed personnel could do to prevent other at-risk students from leaving school.
Boyle,
J. R., & Anderson, T. (2000, May). Why Students leave school: A review
of literature. 42pp ($10.00)
Simon, D. (1993, June).
Increasing the academic
pool of minority students for higher education. 108 pp ($16.50)
McMillan, J. H., Reed, D.R., & Bishop, A. (1992,
June). A qualitative study of resilient at-risk students: Review of
literature. 58 pp ($10.00)
Read the
brief:
Developing
Resilient Schools and Resilient Students
This project involved a comprehensive study of collaborative
teaching for academically able students with disabilities.
Perspectives of administrators, collaborative teachers, students
in collaborative programs, and parents, were investigated. To
find out more, view the research brief :
Gerber, P. J. (1995, February).
The efficacy of the
collaborative teaching model for serving academically-able special
education students: Review of literature. 15 pp ($10.00)
Gerber, P. J. (1996, January).
The efficacy of the
collaborative teaching model for serving academically-able special
education students: Research report. 95 pp ($16.50)
Atkinson, A. (1997).
Early reading interventions:
What works? 50 pp ($16.50)
ESL
Richardson, J.S. (2005, August).
The effectiveness of instructional issues, Theories, Models and
strategies for mainstreamed English Second Language students.
Available
online: Final
report
AND slides
The purpose of the study was to: 1) identify language arts instructional policies and practices used by teachers, 2) determine if a relationship exists between school climate factors and instructional practices, and 3) compare results with those of the National Assessment Educational Progress
(NAEP).
Pisapia, J., & Hoyt, W. (1994, December).
The
state of language arts instruction in elementary and middle schools:
Research report. 123 pp ($16.50)
McMillan, J. H. (1995, October).
Successful
literacy passport test remediation strategies for elementary and middle
school students: Research report. 39 pp ($16.50)
Pisapia J., & Gross, E. (1991, June).
1990
National Assessment of Educational Progress in mathematics: Analysis and
interpretive remarks of the state of mathematics achievement. 63 pp
($16.50)
Cauley, K., & VandeWalle, J. (1993, March).
The
NCTM Standards: Implementation survey instrument. ($20.00)
Cauley, K., & VandeWalle J. (1993, November).
The
NCTM Standards: Implementation. 31 pp ($16.50)
Cauley, K., VandeWalle J., & Hoyt, W. (1993,
November). The NCTM Standards: Implementation technical report.
187 pp ($16.50)
Reed, D., & Kirkpatrick, C. (1998, April).
The
impact of overage middle school students on middle schools. 37 pp
($10.00)
The purpose of this review was to explore the issue of disruptive students in the classroom and to offer suggestions and solutions to the problem. The review is divided into three major areas: (1) definitions and characteristics of disruptive students; (2) reasons why students misbehave; and (3) suggestions and solutions for solving the problem.
Reed, D. & Kirkpatrick, C. (1998, Nov.).
Disruptive
Students in the Classroom: A Review of Literature. 76pp ($10.00)
Types of Programs, Characteristics of Successful Programs, and
Proven Strategies The purpose of this report was to review literature and survey best practices to provide practical suggestions for enhancing parental involvement in urban schools. The focus was on practices that have been proven to work in the field. The intent was to provide some resource, information, and assistance that would help overcome barriers that prevent students from reaching their academic potential.
Fox, C. (1995, February)
Parent involvement in
public education: Review of literature. 47 pp ($10.00)
Trevett, S., & McMillan J. (1998, September).
Enhancing
parental involvement in urban schools: Types of programs, characteristics
of successful programs, and proven strategies. 12pp ($8.00)
This study was commissioned to study the effects
of different high school schedules on teaching strategies,
teacher and student satisfaction, and student and school
performance. Data were gathered from 12 high schools using
various high school schedules. The data are rich and include
results from student, teacher, and administrator surveys and
personal interviews. The respective characteristics, attributes,
and effects of each scheduling model are displayed in matrix
format.
Westfall, A. (1995,
February) Scheduling secondary schools: Questions and answers. 124
pp ($16.50)
Pisapia, J., &
Westfall, A. (1996). Alternative high school schedules: Technical
report. 138 pp ($15.00)
McCay, E. & Savage, R. (2002. Jan.).
Stories of Student Success in Title I
Elementary Schools. 122pp ($16.50)
This study examined ninth grade students who failed to receive a passing score on one or more SOL tests in May and retook the tests in July. Analyses showed that for Algebra I, students who attended summer school and focused on preparation for the test did much better than students who did not attend summer school. Moreover, gains were evident even with very low May scores. The results for other subjects also support the importance of summer school in helping students pass the SOL tests.
McMillan, J. & Fitzelle, D. (2001. Jan.).
The Effectiveness of Remedial Summer School
Programs. 45pp ($10.00)
McMillan, J. & Snyder, A. (2002).
The Effectiveness of Summer Remediation for High-Stakes
Testing. ($16.50)
Snider, S. (1999.Oct.).
Testing, Accountability and
Accreditation. 55pp ($16.50)
Assessment and grading continue to be a private activity with
considerable variation among teachers. While descriptions of
grading practices are plentiful, there is little research on the
relationship between grading practices and student motivation
and achievement. The purpose of this research was to gather
information from teachers regarding their assessment and grading
practices to answer the following questions: 1) What is the
current state of assessment practice and grading by teachers? 2)
What assessment and grading topics do teachers identify as needs
to be addressed in in-service?3) What is the relationship
between assessment and grading practices and grades given to
students? 4) What are the relationships between grade level, and
subject taught, and assessment and grading practices?
McMillan, J., & Workman, D. (1998, May).
Classroom
Assessment and Grading Practices: A Review of the Literature. 37pp
($10.00)
Teacher Recruiting & Retaining
The purpose of these reports was to review the literature on
induction programs as well as how to support and retain teachers throughout their careers.˜
Headings include factors in teacher attrition, induction program goals, outcomes, and problems, mentoring, and in-service teacher development.
These studies used qualitative, in-depth interviews and focus groups of teachers currently working in Richmond metropolitan area public schools. These studies identified reasons teachers were remaining in their school divisions, reasons they felt their colleagues had left their school divisions, and perceptions of teachers regarding local school division teacher retention strategies.
Fox, J., & Certo, J. (1999, Dec.).
Recruiting
and Retaining Teachers: A Review of Literature. 40pp ($10.00)
Fox, J., & Certo, J. (2001, Jan.).
Retaining Teachers Across the Professional
Continuum: A Review of Literature. 31pp ($10.00)
Practicing teachers are in a
unique position to ask questions about how students learn, and
to investigate these questions in a way that will have an
immediate impact on their teaching. Through this program,
teachers have the opportunity and support to investigate
different topics, and share their insights with other
professionals in a collaborative setting.
To find out more, select one of the research
briefs below:
This in-depth study began with an
investigation of cost-effective applications in the classroom.
Then the impact of technologies on student performance was
examined. Software to analyze the cost-effectiveness of
different technologies was developed. The study concluded with
the development of a benchmarking process to enhance technology
integration.
To find out more, select one of the research
briefs below:
Pisapia J., & Perlman, S. (1992, December).
Learning
technologies in the classroom: A study of results. 134 pp ($16.50)
Read the brief:Are
Learning Technologies Effective?
Pisapia, J., Schlesinger, J., & Parks, A. (1993,
February). Learning technologies in the classroom: Review of
literature. 213 pp ($19.50)
Pisapia, J. (1993, April).
Learning technologies in
the classroom: Lessons learned from technology intensive schools. 64
pp ($16.50)
Parks, A., & Pisapia, J. (1993, February).
Learning
technologies in the classroom:Annotated bibliography. 156 pp ($16.50)
Parks, A. & Pisapia, J. (1995).
State of the
Art Technology Application: Atlas. 681 pp ($69.50)
