Data from the Spring 1996 administration of the New Standards Mathematics Reference Examination for Middle Grades were used to examine the instructional validity of the Reference Examination, opportunity to learn, and equity in the context of the California Mathematics Renaissance program. Student (n=1,936) and teacher (n=105) responses to the…

The deeply fractured nature of U.S. society is examined, focusing on poor and working class people in cities. Based on data from 154 poor and working class young adults aged 23 to 35, the study reveals the ways in which this urban generation has suffered from social change. The following chapters are included: (1) "Voices of Hope and Despair:…

Changing job market opportunities affect the fields in which males and females choose to earn a graduate degree. This report examines disparities in field choices of the sexes. Highlighted are the following: (1) in 1994 substantially more females than males earned graduate degrees in education and the health professions; males earned a higher…

Designed to convey timely, accurate, and comparative information about Florida's 28 community colleges, this fact book provides descriptive and statistical data on enrollment trends, college personnel, educational finances, and governance for academic years 1996-97 and 1997-98. The report opens with a brief historical overview of the state system,…

Advanced Placement (AP) participation and examination performance data are important in understanding the extent to which Texas students have completed courses that may qualify them for a "head start"--advanced standing, course credit, or both standing and credit--upon beginning college or university course work. A brief history and…

This report is an evaluation of where Hispanic American women rank in the areas of education, employment, compensation, health, and politics. For Hispanics, both men and women, education is vitally important, and this importance is underscored by data that show that Hispanics overall lack the ability to cope economically. High dropout rates and…

This report uses data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study of 1996 to describe the financing of undergraduate education in 1995-96, with particular focus on student loans and other types of financial aid. The report begins with an essay that describes the role of student loans within the context of tuition, the total price of…

This study used content analysis to investigate the change, over time, in the depiction of Alaskan natives in children's fiction. The analysis was based on four broad categories: (1) physical traits, including physical features and types of clothing; (2) social traits, including language fluency, family associations, amount of formal education,…

This survey was conducted to discover how extensively ARL (Association of Research Libraries) libraries are involved in formal, active programs of collaboration for collections management. Seventy ARL libraries completed a questionnaire focusing on all collections formats and a number of related collections management activities. Results indicated…

In Hong Kong there has been a move toward greater self-management in schools. The government has supported the School Management Initiatives scheme and has stated that the management system calls for teacher appraisal as one of its internal quality assurance mechanisms. This study examined the relationship between dimensions of school climate and…

Formal teacher appraisal was introduced to schools participating in Hong Kong's School Management Initiative (SMI) without prior evaluation of its effectiveness. This study examines the current practice of appraisal and provides guidelines for schools wishing to introduce teacher appraisal. Teachers from SMI schools (n=337) completed…

This report describes a program for using graphic organizers to enhance reading comprehension in the content areas. The targeted population consisted of middle school students in regular education classes at four different locations in a large metropolitan area. Graphic organizers will aid visually/spatially talented students as well as…

In the 1995 National Household Education Survey, adults were asked about six types of adult education activities: English as a second language, basic skills education, postsecondary credential programs, apprenticeships, work-related courses, and personal development courses. About 22 percent of adults reported participating in work-related…

This report summarizes trends in financing higher education in the United States and is based on various reports of state appropriations and a survey of state higher education finance officers. Among the highlights noted are: state appropriations to higher education reached $52.8 billion in fiscal year 99, an increase of 6.5 percent over the…

This report measures the draw of public, private, and special high school graduates to Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) in Florida. For the public schools, 5 years of enrollment data are presented, spanning 1993-94 through 1997-98. Draw data for Dade County private and public special high schools are for 1997-98. The statistics for the…