The first phase of an evaluation of the new AS/A-level course "Advancing Physics," sponsored by the Institute of Physics, is now complete. It shows that the course has achieved very high satisfaction ratings from teachers of the course, and that a majority of these teachers see it as achieving its main aims. The first phase of the…

Communication Across the Curriculum (CAC) programs are growing in number and in degrees of influence across the country. An exploration of the CAC national discussion indicates that the discourse shaping campus programs and faculty/course development practices is one of basic communication skills focused on outcome. The problem with reducing…

Natasha is a nursing student with a 4.0 grade point average, a first-generation East Indian American, and the first woman in her family to go to college. Lugging a twenty-five-pound book bag of texts that cause her slight frame to slump forward under the weight, she carries a far heavier burden of familial expectation and pride. She has expressed…

This paper examines the organization and representation of time in certain kinds of undergraduate programs, here represented by a sociology program in a US university. Written requirements for the major are analyzed as constituting a "chart" that defines academic time in terms of units of before-after relationships. The paper shows how students…

This paper is concerned with the pathways students take through their studies at university. A critique of current research demands a fresh approach to explaining student progression, in particular within Australian higher education. To date, theories of student progression commonly consider the fit of the person to the university environment…

The U.S. Congress has mandated that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) produce an annual report to help inform policymakers about the progress of education in the United States. Using data from across the center and from other sources of education data, "The Condition of Education 2015" presents 42 key indicators on…

This report traces the growth of high school physics in American school over the past twenty years. Highlights of the report include: (1) Enrollments in high school physics continue to grow; (2) Increase in number and proportion of physics teachers; (3) Number of students taking honors, advance placement or second-year physics course has nearly…

Learning communities, designed primarily to increase student persistence and academic achievement, are a common first-year initiative on university campuses. Assessments of learning communities frequently examine indicators that are easily quantifiable such as student persistence and academic achievement, but also examine factors thought to affect…

This article uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 to investigate high school dropout and its association with the high school curriculum. In particular, it examines how combinations of career and technical education (CTE) and core academic courses influence the likelihood of leaving school. Hazards models indicate a…

Worldwide surveys indicate that the number of women studying undergraduate-level Computer Science is constantly decreasing. Based on data collected in Israel, significant differences were found in the percentages of female high school students studying advanced-level Computer Science among different sectors. More specifically, while the percentage…

Curriculum tracking continues as an entrenched part of schooling despite a substantial amount of research that shows educational advantages for college-track students and disadvantages for non-college-track students. This study examined racial/ethnic differences in the odds of being in the college and honors math tracks in high school and was…

The 2016 edition of the "Digest of Education Statistics" is the 52nd in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The "Digest" has been issued annually except for combined editions for the years 1977-78, 1983-84, and 1985-86. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field…

The paper analyses gender disparity in education evident across the socio-economic spectrum in India. Concern for girls' education in last few years has lead to a considerable expansion of access at the primary level. But a great number of girls especially in the rural areas drop out before they reach secondary or higher stages of education. Many…

Eighteen months after soundly criticizing a new Harvard general education that proposed to abandon the concept of a structured general education, substituting a minimum distribution requirement under which students could choose a few courses from hundreds offered by the faculty, the writer applauds the shift, encouraged by interim president Derek…

This paper gives a nuanced analysis of participation rates in secondary chemistry by developing the "story" behind national trends and subject selection patterns within an independent school located in a large Australian city. It supplements the documented quantitative data by presenting a case-study where 30 Year 12 chemistry students…