The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "School Holding Power." Contents include: (1) Texas Higher Education Law Aims to…

"Data Notes" is a bimonthly publication that examines data to illuminate the challenges facing Achieving the Dream colleges and to chart their progress over time. Gateway courses generally include the first college-level English and math courses students are required to take. Increasing the number of students who attempt gateway classes…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue of "Data Notes" is the first of a two-part series investigating which academic terms have the highest frequency of stop-outs at Achieving the Dream colleges. In this issue, students who stop out during high-frequency terms are examined by enrollment status, gender, and…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community College Count, this issue of Data Notes investigates the academic achievement patterns of students attending Achieving the Dream colleges. The data show that 21 percent of students at Achieving the Dream colleges had grade point averages (GPAs) of 3.50 or higher at the end of their first year. At…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue of "Data Notes" looks at student developmental education and gateway course outcomes by gender. The data show that more than half of students were referred to developmental math, with female students being more likely to be referred than male students. Females were more…

Using the data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue of "Data Notes" is the second of a two-part series investigating the characteristics of late stop-outs--students who accumulate at least 30 credits within the first two years, only to stop out without completing credentials or transferring. The data show that male…

Nearly one-quarter of students in community colleges leave school during the first year of enrollment for reasons other than transfer or credential completion. Generally, nontraditional community college students drop out within their first year at higher rates than do traditional students. Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue of Data Notes compares terminal-major, transfer seeking and undeclared students. The different educational paths represent students with different objectives and likely different needs, both of which may be related to persistence. Understanding these differences is critical…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue of "Data Notes" is the second of a two-part series investigating the characteristics of stop-outs at Achieving the Dream colleges. In this issue, students who stop out during high- frequency terms are examined by age, developmental referral status, grade point average and…

Developmental education is an important part of the community college mission. Because there has been such a large increase in the number of female undergraduates, the difference in developmental needs and outcomes between male and female students has become increasingly important. Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, the…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community College Count, this issue examines the differing developmental needs and enrollment and persistence patterns of Achieving the Dream students across different age groups. The data show older students in Achieving the Dream colleges tended to achieve higher grades and perform better academically than…

The purpose of "Focus" is to provide coverage of poverty-related research, events, and issues, and to acquaint a large audience with the work of the Institute for Research on Poverty by means of short essays on selected pieces of research. This issue contains the following articles: (1) The new global labor market (Richard B. Freeman);…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue of "Data Notes" looks at who receives aid, how much they receive and how financial aid relates to persistence. The data show that among full-time students in the 2003 Achieving the Dream cohort, students of color were more likely to receive grants to fund their postsecondary…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue of "Data Notes" looks at the relationship between institutional size differences at Achieving the Dream colleges. Nearly half of Achieving the Dream colleges are classified as small, but these colleges account for only 11 percent of students in the fall 2002 cohort. Only 29…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue examines the percentages and numbers of students who attempted and completed both developmental and college-level math. The analysis reveals that a large portion of students either do not attempt or do not complete developmental math coursework. Furthermore, the data show…