This longitudinal study focuses on a new generation. Members of the high school class of 2002 were born in the years 1983 and 1984. In order to situate their lives in historical context, it is helpful to think back to some of the major events in the lives of these young Illinois citizens. This analysis of the cohort of 2002 provides leaders of…

There is emerging consensus that the United States faces major higher education challenges, including: (1) America's fall from first to tenth place internationally in the percentage of the population with higher education degrees at a time when the country faces increased global economic competition in a knowledge-intensive economy; (2) Education…

Few decisions by a school district are more controversial than the decision to close a school. School staff, students and their families, and even the local community all bear a substantial burden once the decision is made to close a school. Teachers and other school staff must search for new employment, students are faced with a multitude of…

This paper presents the public higher education system trends in Connecticut for 2009. This report contains the following sections: (1) Higher Education in a Statewide Context; (2) Expenditure Trends; (3) Comparative Funding Indicators; (4) Enrollment Trends; (5) Degrees Conferred; (6) Position Trends; (7) Tuition and Fees; (8) Student and State…

School choice reforms have been proposed as ways to enhance efficiency, equity, and effectiveness in education. This study examines the consequences of participating in public high school choice in Chicago, a city with a wide variety of choice programs, including career academies, charter schools, magnet schools, and selective test-based college…

Racial identity attitudes, a construct proposed as a measure of the world view of Blacks (Cross & Vandiver, 2001), and academic performance of a group of Black females attending a high-poverty, failing high school with a 42% graduation rate were examined. These young women were either pregnant or parenting and attended a parenting support group at…

In its first hundred days, the Obama administration demonstrated a strong commitment to expanding access to higher education. The economic stimulus package, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), increased funding for the Pell Grant program and over the next two years, the maximum award will grow to $5,550 in 2010-2011--the…

This article gives an overview of the state of mathematics education in Argentina across all levels, in the regional and world contexts. Statistics are drawn from Mercosur and UNESCO data bases, World Education Indicators and various national time-series government reports. Mathematics results in national testing programmes, Programme for…

A majority of junior college students intend to obtain a two-year Associate in Arts (AA) degree and transfer to a four year college, but only approximately one third of these students continue their education beyond the community college level. It was hypothesized that an intensive counseling program for sophomores would enable students to achieve…

The program is a series of interviews and montages on the topic of graduation at all levels: high school, college, graduate, and honorary degrees. Among those interviewed are: Caroline Bird, author of "The Case Against College"; Judith Harrison, Maureen Smith, and Frank Meta, graduates; Roy Forbes, Director of the National Assessment of…

Institutional accountability for performance and quality is an evolving topic with immeasurable appeal. Data and sources are abundant, but validated measures and meaningful information are scarce. While pursuing an approach centered on construct validity, this study transforms complex data into useful information. Correlation analysis reveals…

To have any real chance of success in the workplace or in college, high school students must regularly engage in more rigorous, intellectually challenging work and must make more progress during their high school years than they do now. This report, presented to the California Senate Standing Committee on Education, states that in California,…

Report on research from 18 states that concludes that high-stakes tests do not lead to higher student achievement. In addition, such tests can decrease student motivation to learn and lead to higher student retention and dropout rates. (Contains 2 figures and 21 references.) (WFA)

The Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts college in Washington that has been named the "number one learning community" in the nation by "U.S. News & World Report." There are no grades at Evergreen; instead, faculty provide a narrative evaluation of students' performance in their courses. There are also no majors…

Public education matters, whether you're a student, parent, teacher, administrator, employer, or taxpayer. Although you undoubtedly know something about public education, you may be unaware of important facts about the U.S. educational system or may be surprised to learn how things have changed in recent years. This edition of "A Public…