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In 2001, the U.S. Department of Education and the Ministry of Education in China entered into a bilateral partnership to develop a technology-driven approach to foreign language learning that integrated gaming, immersion, voice recognition, problem-based learning tasks, and other features that made it a significant research and development pilot project for study. The purpose of this report is to describe the evaluation of a key outcome of this bilateral partnership, "The Forgotten World". This application, which was developed by Coastline Community College and the Learning Games Network through a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, uses the integrated approach set forth in the U.S.-China bilateral agreement. This program was implemented as a supplementary activity in middle school classrooms in western China to teach the English language and American culture to eighth-grade students. The evaluation was conducted in five treatment schools and five comparison schools during the 2009-10 school year and included approximately 3,500 students. Findings reveal that students in treatment schools with relatively low levels of initial proficiency, who scored in the bottom half of all students on the fall tests, evidenced larger gains in reading and listening than similar students in comparison schools. There were no differences in performance between treatment and comparison groups among students with higher levels of initial proficiency (those scoring in the upper half of all students on the fall test). Overall, students in treatment and comparison schools performed similarly on the proficiency tests administered at the beginning and end of the school year. The statistically significant positive results of using "The Forgotten World" for the lower performing students along with the positive effects on student motivation is encouraging for an intervention that was only partially implemented. Further research could be conducted to help understand why the program produced these benefits, how to overcome implementation problems in schools lacking sophisticated computer technology, and why "The Forgotten World" did not produce positive benefits for the initially higher performers. Appended are: (1) Open Language Learning Initiative Evaluation Planning Group Meeting Summary; (2) "The Forgotten World" Quick Reference Guide; (3) English Proficiency Tests Under Consideration, October 2008; (4) Plan for Pilot Test of The Forgotten World in Gansu Province, April-June 2009; (5) Evaluation Plan Update, July 2009 (Revised); (6) Data Collection Procedures and Materials: 2009 Pre-Test Test Administrator Manual, Attached Informed Consent Forms, and Questionnaires; (7) Data Collection Procedures and Materials: 2010 Post-Test Test Administrator Manual, Attached Informed Consent Forms, and Questionnaires; and (8) Supplementary Tables. (Contains 30 exhibits, 2 tables and 6 footnotes.

U.S. enrollment in science and engineering (S&E) graduate programs in 2007 increased by 3.3% over comparable data for 2006. This is the highest annual growth rate since 2002 and is nearly double the 1.7% growth rate seen in 2006. First-time, full-time enrollment of foreign students (the terms "foreign student" and "temporary" visa holder are equivalent in this report) eclipsed its previous high, set in 2001, and total enrollment of temporary visa holders topped its 2003 high. Despite this growth, the proportion of S&E graduate students who are temporary visa holders remained below its peak level, set in 2002, because of growth in the numbers of U.S. citizens and permanent residents pursuing graduate-level study in S&E fields. The National Science Foundation-National Institutes of Health (NNSF-NIH) Survey of Graduate Students and Post-doctorates in Science and Engineering (GSS), which collects these data, was refined in 2007 to improve reporting. New fields were added to the survey, and some fields were reclassified. Because of these changes this InfoBrief presents 2007 data in two ways: (1) "2007new" counts report the data as collected using the new methodology; and (2) "2007old" counts reflect the data as they would have been collected in prior years. Current-year discussions in this InfoBrief are based on 2007new data. Differences between prior years and 2007 are based on 2007old data, and trends are presented this way. Survey changes and impacts on data collection are discussed in detail in the section "Survey Changes and Comparative Analysis." (Contains 3 tables, 1 figure and 4 notes.)

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an assessment of the reading comprehension of students in their fourth year of schooling, measuring student performance on a combined reading literacy scale and on a literary subscale and informational subscale. PIRLS is conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). This report compares the performance of U.S. students with their peers worldwide. It also examines how the reading literacy of U.S. fourth-grade students has changed since the first administration of PIRLS in 2001. Results are presented by student background characteristics (sex and race/ethnicity) and by contextual factors that may be associated with reading proficiency (school characteristics, instructional practices and teacher preparation, and the home environment for reading). (Contains 9 tables and 12 figures. Appended are: (1) Sample Items From PIRLS 2006; (2) Technical Notes; (3) PIRLS Technical Review Panel, United States; and (4) PIRLS Publications.)

The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) is a new study that will focus on children's early school experiences beginning in kindergarten. Approximately 23,000 children will be selected as they enter kindergarten and followed through fifth grade. Base-year data will be collected in the fall of 1998, but there will a field test in the 1996-97 school year. This paper, prepared in support of the development of the ECLS, reviews nine studies, each of which may provide some design features that would be useful in the ECLS. The studies reviewed are the: (1) Beginning School Study; (2) Children of the National Longitudinal Study of Youth; (3) Greensboro Early Schooling Study; (4) Prospects: The Congressionally Mandated Study of Educational Growth and Opportunity; (5) District of Columbia Early Learning and Early Identification Study; (6) National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88); (7) Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children; (8) National Survey of Children; and (9) National Child Development Study. In reviewing the design and results of these studies, several cross-cutting issues were recognized, including the cognitive assessments, the social and emotional measurements, and the measures of environment. Issues concerning overall study design are also explored, and individual summaries are provided for each of the studies. Study design and sampling and administration procedures will be largely based on the experience of the NELS:88. Each of the study summaries contains references. (Contains six tables.) (SLD)

The early identification of students at risk of school failure and the development of strategies to improve their chances of success in school are important topics for researchers, policy makers, and educators. This report examines high school outcomes and determines, through data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, if any outcomes are related to risk factors that can be identified at the beginning of high school. "At-risk eighth-grade students were identified as those who: live in single-parent families; have family incomes of less than $15,000; have an older sibling who has dropped out; have parents who did not finish high school; have limited proficiency in English; or are at home without adult supervision more than three hours a day. About 26% of eighth graders nationally major finding is that of students identified as having multiple risk factors in eighth grade, only 60% graduated from high school on time, compared with 90% of students with no risk factors. Sixty-five percent of students with multiple risk factors failed to complete a basic sequence of high school courses. At-risk students were more likely to test poorly in mathematics, and they were more likely to report getting into trouble at school. Students with multiple risk factors in eighth grade were also more likely to have a child in 1992. Four figures and three tables present study findings. A brief appendix discusses methodology. (Contains eight references.) (SLD)

In light of the many changes of the past 20 years, it may be expected that plans of high school seniors for further education may have also changed, along with the kinds of jobs they expect to have and the things they regard as important. These questions are examined through data from the National Longitudinal Study of 1972 (NLS) and the National Education Longitudinal Study in 1988 (NELS:88), the 1992 Second Follow-up. The proportion of seniors in academic or college preparatory programs was approximately the same in both years, although enrollment in the general track increased and enrollment in vocational education decreased. In 1992, there was little difference between the sexes in high school program placement. In 1992, only 5.3 of students reported that they would not attend some kind of school after high school, but in 1972, 18.9% had reported that they would not continue. Eighty-four percent in 1992 planned to go to college, compared with the 63% who planned to attend in 1972. Differences for females were dramatic, with female seniors in 1992 four times more likely to plan on graduate or professional school as in 1972. Nearly 60% in 1992 planned a professional career, compared with approximately 45% in 1972. Changes in values were most marked among women, who in 1992 espoused values closer to those traditionally held by men. One figure and three tables present data about the two populations. (SLD)

Research approaches to the complex issues related to college teaching and learning are discussed. Topics covered include: research itself (why improvement is needed, potential targets for improvement, types of research, and an integrated strategy for productive research); the learning activity; the teaching activity; learners; teachers; organization of postsecondary teaching and learning; and defining what is to be learned. Summary observations are offered that suggest complex interrelationships among mode of learning, method of teaching, learner attributes, teacher attributes, and organizational context. Recommendations are presented: (1) greater support should be provided for basic research, broader field testing, and improved translation for institutional researcher use; (2) institutional research offices should broaden their mission to include the translation and field testing functions; (3) policy researchers need to weigh more heavily basic studies and related field tests; and (4) both institutions and governmental agencies need to sponsor carefully structured evaluation research. (LB)