"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) Nation's Report Card Reveals Modest Increases in Math and Reading: Report Shows One-Quarter of Eighth Graders Reading…

Where do higher-level vocational education and training (VET) qualifications lead? This study investigates whether they lead to employment at associate professional or higher occupations, or whether they are a pathway to university studies. Findings indicate that there are good employment outcomes for some graduates, although often at below…

While the task of defining and counting the Hispanic population is very complex and existing data is inconsistent, several trends emerge with implications for public education policy. Between 1970 and 1980, California's Hispanic population increased by 50% to 4.5 million, 19.2% of the state population, and is expected to increase to between 24.4%…

In 1988, a series of studies was conducted at Prince George's Community College (PGCC) to assess student outcomes with respect to course pass rates, student retention, the performance of PGCC transfer students at four-year institutions, graduate transfer and employment patterns, employer evaluations of PGCC graduates, scores on licensure and…

The Business Roundtable prepared this paper to: (1) help policymakers and the public better understand the facts about the United States' role in the worldwide economy; (2) offer context and perspective on employment trends; and (3) recommend a package of policies that will stimulate economic growth, foster innovation, create jobs and help workers…

A study examined the school and labor market experiences of students who either are in or have participated in vocational education programs. To formulate their conclusions, the researchers involved in the study analyzed a subset of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth Labor Market Experience--Youth Cohort. These data indicate that…

This paper outlines the goals, design, implementation and results of a project of the State Education Assessment Center of the Council of Chief State School Officers to develop state indicators of the condition of science and mathematics education in elementary and secondary schools. The goals of the project include: (1) improving the quality and…

This report examines effects of the Self-Sufficiency Project (SSP) for three age groups of children (younger cohort aged 3-5, middle cohort aged 6-11, and older cohort aged 12-18) at the 36-month interview. A companion report on effects of the SSP on adults is available separately. Chapter 1 describes the SSP incentive, project design, and SSP…

The benefits of offering high school students career and technical education (CTE) in addition to training in basic academic skills and the cost-effectiveness of CTE were examined by reviewing available data on demand, supply, and results for CTE. The analysis confirmed that the market and demand for workers with only a high school education still…

"Perspectives on Progress: The School-to-Work (STW) National Customer Dialogues" was a series of six regional and two national discussions that were held between December 1999 and July 2000 to gather the views of more than 700 employers, educators, labor union representatives, students, parents, community-based organizations, and state…

The Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims of the House Committee on the Judiciary met to hear testimony on the benefits to American workers, businesses, citizens, and legal residents of more educated immigrants in the national workforce. Statements were given by the following persons: (1) Lamar Smith, U.S. Congressman from Texas; (2) William…

This document contains 15 papers from a conference on preparing youth for the 21st century that was organized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The following papers are included: "Giving Young People a Good Start: The Experience of OECD Countries" (Norman Bowers,…