A study was conducted to identify placement and followup practices common to successful programs, and to strengthen those aspects of pre- and/or inservice training which prepare local counseling and guidance personnel to function more effectively in implementing local placement and followup efforts. A total of 3,218 schools from 26 states were…

The evaluation reports submitted by local educational agencies (LEAs) in Virginia during 1974-75 are the bases of the data and information contained in this report. Some of the highlights of the analyses conducted on Title I programs are as follows. In the area of administration, enrollment in Title I classes has been concentrated in grades one…

The purpose of this study was to determine methods that secondary school teachers could use to become more effective in the area of student motivation. A brief summary of previous research and writing of educators is presented, followed by a listing of characteristics exhibited by teachers who are superior in encouraging motivation and learning in…

Discusses attribution theory and its effect on teachers' attitudes toward students and describes a study of 155 elementary teachers in Costa Rica that investigated the consequences of the teachers attributing student performance to low ability and to insufficient effort. Cultural values that may affect the outcomes are also discussed. (28…

A study of 150 college students' attribution of academic success examined the relative importance of 12 categories of factors: study habits, course content, teacher, social factors, interest, motivation, ability, domestic security, peers, luck, financial security, and health. (MSE)

Describes a study of 38 students at Eastern Oregon State College which identified mathematics proficiency as the key student characteristic leading to successful completion of computer science courses, and developed a model that accounts for 82 percent of the variation in students' final grades in computer courses for use by advisers. (LRW)

The Regional Tutorial Services Unit of Great Britain's Open University links the school's regional educational programs with the central office, provides for student counseling, and maintains enrollment. This article reviews the unit's first 10 years, its present structure and operations, and the factors underlying or inhibiting its notable…

An evaluation of a humanities course taught to mixed ability classes of 11 year olds in England showed that the most important factors for a successful course are teacher commitment and enthusiasm, careful course planning keeping in mind student interests, and teaching styles that emphasize student activities and interaction and oral work. (RM)

This brief presents an alternative view of how students should move from secondary to postsecondary education, and reviews two approaches that attempt to link high schools and colleges: (1) the coordination of high school exit standards, college entry standards, and Tech Prep; and (2) dual enrollment. Tech Prep offers students planned career…

The annual "U.S. News and World Report" "America's Best Colleges" issue has become the nation's de facto higher education accountability system, evaluating colleges and universities on a common scale and creating strong incentives for institutions to do things that raise their ratings. But, says the author, the "U.S. News" ranking system is deeply…

Collaborative, shared leadership among administrators, students, faculty, and staff is a key component to creating campus environments that foster student success. Collaborative work groups can be powerful vehicles for launching and institutionalizing student-friendly policies and practices and for developing complementary programs such as…

Howard Bowen (1996) wryly observed decades ago that colleges and universities raise all the money they can, and then they spend it. His point was that institutions have more good ideas than they can fully fund. As a consequence, they are constantly making choices as to how to best use their finite resources. Where and how resources are allocated…

Starting a new position is exhilarating. The key challenge is to make the strange familiar as soon as possible. There are new policies to learn, new colleagues to get to know, and new surroundings to adapt to. All these aspects and more need to be understood and managed well in order to focus on the primary task at hand--teaching and learning. Of…

A study examined the roles of language and school in the lives of a group of five Indochinese friends, aged 10-12, in the same sixth-grade class. Two were born in the United States; three were born in Thai refugee camps. The ways in which the subjects defined themselves in relation to other students, particularly other Asian students, and to each…

In December 1993, the University of Florida issued a report that found that the vast majority of students who had taken chemistry courses in dual enrollment programs at a community college and who did not meet standard admissions requirements were required to retake their courses at the University. In response to the report, the state's Community…