This study examines the effects of increased mathematics and social studies requirements for high school graduation on at-risk students. Information was analyzed from the following sources for five high schools in California and two high schools in Georgia: (1) teacher surveys; (2) student surveys; (3) interviews with administrators; (4) student…

This study examined how high schools made decisions about which courses to offer and which courses were appropriate for various students. During year 1, researchers visited three senior high schools in a major West Coast urban center to observe, study school documents, and talk with educators and students about curriculum offerings and student…

This study examined whether students at the Northeast Missouri State University felt the present Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Study requirements allowed enough freedom in choosing classes, and how students would respond to more free electives. Responses of 508 students were obtained to a questionnaire addressing the following areas: (1) how…

This document is the Spanish language version of the student materials component designed to accompany the Educational and Career Planning Instructional Guide. Page numbers are consistent with the numbering in that guide. The student book follows the guide's seven units, which cover the following topics: (1) goals; (2) decision making; (3) a look…

Information about the courses taken by high school seniors in 1982 and 1987 was analyzed. Data for 1982 came from the high school transcripts collected for the sophomore cohort of High School and Beyond. Data for 1987 came from the high school transcripts of a national sample of 1987 high school seniors in the High School Transcript Study of 1987.…

As the third part of the 1991 secondary-schools student survey of the Toronto (Ontario, Canada), this report focuses on students' program-enrollment patterns and their school achievement. In the first section, students' demographic and school-related characteristics at advanced, general, and basic program levels are contrasted and compared with…

This policy guide argues the need for improved indicators of student coursework, illustrates the information that different types of measures convey, outlines the key choices that need to be made about data collection, and suggests ways in which states might develop more valid and useful indicators of student coursework. In its broadest form,…

A qualitative study of adults aged 65-74 investigated why few of them participated in organized educational activities. Interviews were conducted with 33 individuals at seven senior citizen centers in or near Houston, Texas. They included eight Caucasian females, six Black females, nine Hispanic females, one Oriental female, five Hispanic males,…

Adeptness in abstractions and analysis--the language of math--is at least as important as adeptness at reading words for individuals in business and industry. Mathematics literacy stimulates the problem-solving and critical thinking skills that the workplace now demands. A National Assessment of Educational Progress study found that about half of…

On the premise that it is important to examine parental attitudes as children enter the middle grades since it is at this point that decision shaping students' subsequent course taking patterns are made, this study examined the degree to which parents were involved in the assignment of their children to mathematics courses in the seventh grade.…

Improving the quality of primary and secondary education has become a national imperative, especially in the fields of mathematics and science. Many have cited the results of international comparisons as cause for alarm and thus for the need to make fundamental changes in the educational system. With so much attention focused on the need for…

Recommendations for improving general and vocational education in the high schools are as follows: (1) providing clearly stated state and local school board policies establishing the purpose of vocational education; (2) upgrading the content of vocational courses; (3) providing students with access to higher level academic content taught through…

The undergraduate course in agricultural ethics has been under development at Texas A&M University for four years. The course that has evolved is the result of discussion between the philosophy and agriculture departments. The course attempts to incorporate basic economic principles that affect agriculture as well as to tie these principles to…

Researchers have demonstrated that particular careers attract individuals with distinct identifiable personality profiles and learning styles, and this idea is extended to the selection of majors within the College of Business and Public Administration (BPA) at the University of North Dakota. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was used both to…

Preliminary findings of the Differential Coursework Patterns (DCP) Project are reported. The Project uses assessment test scores and transcripts from samples of graduating college seniors to determine what coursework patterns were related to gains in the general learned abilities of the students. Random samples of graduating seniors have been…