In Florida, community colleges are required to report their entry-level basic skills testing results to the public school system in their service area. Miami-Dade Community College (M-DCC) has been reporting that approximately 60% of Dade County Public School (DCPS) graduates cannot pass basic skills tests in math, writing, and reading. DCPS has…

This "report card" grades the state of education, health, special needs services, and economic security among Illinois children in 1993. Illinois ranked 38th out of the 50 states in financial contribution per student for education, but had a high disparity in revenues per pupil at the county level, thus earning a "D+" grade for…

This report proposes 25 guidelines that should be considered in making productivity improvements in the following five key areas: (1) instruction, (2) research and public service, (3) overall academic functions, (4) administrative functions, and (5) state policies affecting higher education. In some cases, data are presented that illustrate the…

American River College's (California) Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) project is a 2-year project initiated in 1992 to improve the retention and performance of minority students and others in math, biology, and chemistry through increased contact and involvement with their peers. PAL involves a cadre of 24 student Learning Assistants (LA's) who have…

This paper reports the results of a study of changes in the social distribution of mathematics achievement for a cohort of public high school students. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) the study sought to identify school characteristics which were significantly correlated with changes in achievement differences from grade 9 to grade 11…

This guide contains descriptive and evaluative information on 47 major commercially-available English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) tests in current use around the world. For each test, the following information is provided: complete title; acronym; publication date; targeted audience; intended purpose; scoring method; administration type (group or…

This paper analyzes a study by Fukushima (1990) of the English offers and responses of Japanese English as a foreign language (EFL) college students and reports on an experiment designed to address the perceived weaknesses of Fukushima's work. Fukushima's study found that many Japanese EFL learners could not use appropriate levels of politeness in…

Educators working with elementary school children need to consider the impact of unstructured and structured hypermedia on the learning occurring in computer-assisted instruction. This paper discusses a case study of a collaborative group of four boys during a summer science camp. Their interactions with two different examples of hypermedia are…

This report examines whether educationally disadvantaged or at-risk preschool children have access to center-based early childhood programs similar to the access enjoyed by advantaged children, and whether the programs are of comparable quality. Eight risk factors that represent gross indications of educational disadvantage are examined, including…

The Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) were established by the California legislature in 1969 to provide financial and academic support to educationally disadvantaged, full-time community college students residing in California. As part of its annual reporting requirements, the Chancellor's Office of the California Community…

High school and post-high school experiences were compared for 1982, 1985, and 1989 graduates from Lewisburg, Middleburg, Mifflinburg, Selingsgrove, Shikellamy, and West Snyder High Schools, Pennsylvania. These experiences were contrasted by both year of graduation and by program of study: academic, Sun Area Technical School, home school…

This report presents a first year evaluation of the Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI)/ Cooperative Learning Project, a 3-year collaborative effort by two Pennsylvania school districts--the Pittston Area School District and the Hatboro-Horsham School District--and Research for Better Schools (RBS). The project proposed to integrate advanced…

This report puts California's current efforts to find solutions to its problems of transfer and articulation in the broader context of national concerns. Following a brief summary and overview, part 1 sets forth a seris of conclusions and six recommendations for action by the University of California, the California State University, the…

Each year, in order to determine the factors that influence student attrition, Vancouver Community College (VCC) selectively surveys former students who dropped out (discontinuants) of occupational programs on VCC's three main campuses. Former students were surveyed regarding their personal characteristics, main goals for coming to VCC, activities…

The "Grapevine" newsletter has been published since 1958. Its subtitle says "Reports on State Tax Legislation; state appropriations for universities, colleges, and community colleges; legislation affecting education beyond the high school." This issue contains a feature article focusing on community colleges: "State-Tax-Fund Appropriations for…