"Charter Schools in Eight States" uses longitudinal data from eight states to evaluate the effects of charter schools on achievement, attainment, integration, and competition. The findings are mixed. "Achievement": The study examines seven jurisdictions and finds insignificant effects on reading and math performance in five,…

The Key State Education Policies on PK-12 Education is intended to inform policymakers and educators about the current status of key education policies that define and shape elementary and secondary education in public schools across the 50 states. The report is part of a continuing series by the Council's State Education Indicators program.…

Since 1999, the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) has provided funding to provincial school authorities for projects designed to improve student learning and performance. Conducted in three-year cycles, this unique approach has successfully helped to initiate approximately 1,600 grassroots projects led by school districts, teachers,…

John Tyler and Magnus Lofstrom take a close look at the problems posed when students do not complete high school. The authors begin by discussing the ongoing, sometimes heated, debate over how prevalent the dropout problem is. They note that one important reason for discrepancies in reported dropout rates is whether holders of the General…

This study explores the ways that state high school testing policies shape college opportunity among students attending 15 high schools in five states. The authors use multiple descriptive case studies to explore how testing policies influence key predictors of college enrollment (e.g., high school graduation, academic preparation, knowledge, and…

This study analyzed documentation from 50 state departments of education concerning high school graduation requirements for students in general and for students with disabilities. Preliminary information reviews research on graduation requirements, research on minimum competence tests, and legal issues and implications. Study findings are then…

This anthology contains 20 commencement addresses delivered by prominent and successful Americans from many different fields of endeavor--all the addresses have in common an understanding of the audience's thoughts and feelings at the important moment of a college graduation. Each speech in the anthology is preceded by a brief biography of the…

This book describes a strategy for school reform, "planning backwards from exhibitions," which is a collective invention of the Coalition of Essential Schools. The strategy is based on the principle that graduation from high school should be based on genuine achievement. The first article, by Joseph P. McDonald, explains that the purpose of…

A major goal of state education reforms in the 1980s was to increase the number of courses students were required to complete for graduation. This document provides quantitative transcript data from high schools enrolling mostly lower achieving students in the 1980s. At 3 points in time, random samples of approximately 25 transcripts of graduating…

The paper addresses problems and strategies for evaluating mainstreamed students in vocational education classes. In addition to grading concerns, the area of graduation requirements is also considered. Alternatives to traditional methods of evaluation, including competencey based evaluation and adaptation of assessment techniques are described as…

In 1986 the State Board of Education of New Jersey approved more rigorous high school graduation requirements in academic subjects. Concern was expressed that requiring additional academic courses could crowd the daily schedules for many students and, in effect, impede their ability to take courses that meet other requirements, needs, and…

Data from 202 out of 311 surveyed school districts in Arkansas were collected to assess the congruence of course content guides, developed under administrative mandate by the school districts, with associated parental reporting forms. The guides outline skills associated with three instructional/skill levels--basic, developmental, and…

The report presents information on academic performance and other issues related to student athletes. It was written to aid the chairman of the Committee on Labor and Human Relations in preparation for a hearing on Senate Bill 580, the Student Athlete Right-to-Know Act. Specifically, the document examines: (1) the reporting burden the proposed…

Key elements of the master's level programs offering majors and/or minors in nursing administration and accredited by the National League for Nursing were assessed. The focus was admission and graduation stipulations and curriculum content. Courses were classified according to content and categorized as either administration, research,…

A guide for academic advisers is presented that includes anticipated student questions and important concerns to consider at each stage of student's progression through college. Resource materials that will help the adviser are listed for each topic. Publications and materials that the student should have are also indicated. Topics include the…