This document is an exploratory study of issues and evidence related to academic skills, nonacademics, and work along three lines of inquiry. Section 1 is an introduction that explains the three lines of inquiry: literature review to identify empirical studies and salient issues pertinent to academic skill needs; new analysis of existing data from…

This study is the fifth assessment in an 18-year longitudinal study begun in 1986 to follow a group of Montessori students who attended the Franciscan Montessori Earth School in Portland, Oregon. Participating were 45 students with an average age of 18 years, about half of whom were in high school and half in college. Students completed an online…

Researchers, parents, and teachers have suggested that the home environment is a likely source of experiences that can enhance the development of oral language and early literacy skills. This longitudinal study examined relations among home literacy factors, subsequent language and early literacy skills, and reading acquisition. Assessments…

Reports on an eight month study examining the development of turn-allocation devices in children acquiring English as a second language. The role of prior language experience in second language learning is explored. (Author/AM)

Discusses a study using data from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 to explore patterns of postsecondary education. Describes the sample, the methodology, and the findings in terms of students' educational aspirations, college attendance, academic aptitude, family background, sex, race, and academic achievement. (AYC)

The relationship between aid received and activities pursued after college (attending graduate school, career choice, forming a family, and forming personal values) was examined. Results imply that the self-help forms of aid (loans and work) are not detrimental to the future plans of recipients. (Author/LB)

Vocational or college-bound students responded to four futures orientation variables (personality, physical well-being, family, and occupation) along several dimensions, including hopes and fears, locus of control, and optimism. The same students took the same survey two years later. Age, sex, and educational status differences were noted. (CP)

The evolution of the California Assessment Program from its legislative origins in 1961 is discussed. The following topics are included: history; analysis and reporting of results; program impact; program assessment; and future changes in emphasis. (MH)

Examines the emergence of the present perfect in the interlanguage of instructed adult learners of English as a Second Language. Findings indicate that adding a new inflection in the tense/aspect system requires establishing new form-meaning associations as well as revising existing ones. (44 references) (Author/CK)

Analyzes data from the 1988 National Educational Longitudinal Study, which suggests that school policies and practices can reduce or exacerbate learning differences among students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Results indicated that schools organized around a communal mission with more holistic assessment fared better than…

Investigated relationships among prenatal maternal resources, perceptions about parenting, and children's temperament at 6 months, and adaptation of 90 adolescent mothers three years after the birth of their first child. Found that maternal resources uniquely predicted later maternal cognitive functioning, personal adjustment, and child abuse…

Data from an annual national survey of college freshmen indicate the women's movement has had dramatic effects on educational aspirations, career plans, behavior, and values of young women entering college and equally dramatic effects on attitudes of both men and women toward women's roles. One consequence is that current male and female freshmen…

A 2-year case study analyzed how assistive technology was used in educational programs for 14 children with multiple disabilities and 2 to 10 years experience with assistive technology. By the end of the study the children were able to use technology tools to accomplish tasks previously not possible due to disability severity. The greatest…

Charts the vocabulary evolution of three groups of students in Brussels' kindergartens: (1) originally monolingual Dutch-speaking children; (2) originally simultaneously bilingual children (Dutch/French); and (3) young successive second-language learners (French at home, Dutch in kindergarten). (23 references) (Author/CK)

Applied a person-centered approach to childhood personality development in 28 diverse samples of 3- to 6-year-olds studied over 6 years. Identified resilient, overcontrolled, and undercontrolled personality types. Found that the undercontrolled personality type related to intellectual decline over 6 years. The number of family risks predicted…