"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) House Subcommittee Passes Education Funding Bill: Overall Education Spending Essentially Flat, Striving Readers…

This report presents data from a survey of school partnerships that described the current national status of partnerships in schools, measured growth in partnerships through the 1990s, provided data on trends in partnership objectives and activities over 10 years, and related changes in partnerships to major education reform issues. Surveys were…

This guide is designed to share the experiences of 25 British further education colleges and adult education services that have developed demonstrably successful strategies to improve student retention. An introduction discusses the report's background, content, and format. The format mixes thematic presentation with mini-case studies and…

Strategies to improve disadvantaged young people's access to and progression within initial vocational training (VT) were identified through a study of relevant experiences within the European Union's member states. The study, which was based on national reports from each country, focused on the following topics: identifying the challenges and…

This booklet contains suggestions to assist educators in using the "Linking Learning With Life" books relevant to all levels of service learning and, particularly, to use in teacher education programs. The guidebooks are grouped into five sections. Each section represents a different subject area relating to teacher education. For each…

The research that has been conducted on single-sex schools and classes, has for the most part, been done in the private school and college realm, primarily because very few public schools established single-sex programs. One of the consistent findings has been that with so much emphasis having been placed on the development of girls, that boys are…

This document contains vocational education program course standards (curriculum frameworks and student performance standards) for exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs offered at the secondary and postsecondary level as part of Florida's diversified education program, which consists of courses, programs, and…

A bilingual education program in two New York City elementary schools is evaluated. The program served 369 students, most of them limited-English-proficient native Spanish-speakers, providing supplementary instructional services in English as a Second Language (ESL), native language arts, and mathematics in the context of architecture. The report…

The Experience Based Career Education (EBCE) program of career and vocational development is designed to help high school-age migrant students stay in school, plan appropriate classes, and make realistic educational and employment choices. Developed by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, EBCE is a highly individualized, fully…

Environmental Readiness Learning (ERL) is the affective curriculum component developed by the Bedford Stuyvesant Street Academy (New York) to improve the behavior, academic achievement, and self-esteem of urban high school students with histories of prior school failure. The program design reflects the school's philosophy that educational success…

In 1985, the International High School (IHS) at LaGuardia Community College (LCC) in New York City was established to address the crisis in retention of high school aged immigrants with low English proficiency. IHS has had great success in improving student attendance, retention, academic achievement, and graduation. Because of its location on the…

A project was conducted at Gateway Vocational Technical School in Arkansas to reduce effectively the high percentage of students who discontinue vocational training before completing the course. This would be accomplished by assisting potential students with realistic career training decisions. The project involved the following four steps: (1)…

This document examines three studies that explored additional support, retention, and guidance in England's urban colleges. The foreword and summary discuss the mission, focus, and results of each study. "Funding and Tracking Additional Support in Basic Skills and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)" (Liz Lawson, Philida…

This text summarizes knowledge from research that focused on reforming secondary special education and high schools and makes recommendations for improving high schools' effectiveness. Chapters are as follows: "Characteristics of Youth and Young Adults" (Stephen Lichtenstein); "Emerging Transition Best Practices" (Frank R. Rusch, Dorothy M.…

The experiences of young women in Victoria, Australia, who left school before completing their secondary education were examined to identify the issues facing female early school leavers and the policy implications of those issues. The study was based primarily on data from the Youth Research Centre's Disaffiliated Early School Leavers study, a…