The authors present an empirical analysis of what is taught in core micro-economics at a set of top U.S. doctoral economics programs. Their aim is to evaluate the diversity across programs and assess whether there are distinct "schools of thought" in graduate economics education. Their empirical findings reveal substantial, in fact,…

Professional development in higher education is traditionally viewed as occurring through participation in workshops, attending conferences, and completing learning modules. But sometimes professional learning occurs in informal and unintended ways. This article contributes to the collective understanding of informal professional learning in…

The public educational system is comprised of diverse demographics wherein each student has a distinct cultural personal history (O'Brien, 1998). In America, the traditional perception was that a melting pot society existed. But deMarrais and LeCompte (1999) maintain that a stew pot or salad bowl would be a more appropriate analogy. Melting pot…

Illinois education policymakers have adopted the completion agenda that emphasizes increasing postsecondary credential attainment. Meeting completion agenda goals necessitates addressing the achievement gap. To aid in developing policy to support improved completion, this study analyzes a comprehensive statewide dataset of the 2003 Illinois high…

The consequences of failing core academic courses during the first year of high school are dire. In the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), only about one-fifth of off-track freshmen--students who fail more than one semester of a core academic course and/or fail to earn enough credits to be promoted to 10th grade--graduate high school, compared with…

The ESEA Blueprint for Reform states that teachers need "effective, ongoing, job-embedded, professional development that is targeted to student and school needs… [and] aligned with evidence of improvements in student learning." Unfortunately, the professional development approaches advocated, though sensible and compelling in theory,…

This report provides information about the performance of 2010 graduating seniors who took the ACT as sophomores, juniors, or seniors; and self-reported at the time of testing that they were scheduled to graduate in 2010 and tested under standard time conditions. This report focuses on: (1) Performance: student test performance in the context of…

The "Measuring College and Career Readiness" report for each state represents a snapshot of the ACT-tested graduates in the class of 2009 and focuses on their readiness for college and careers. Designed to inform policymakers and practitioners about selected indicators of effectiveness, the report is not intended to be comprehensive but…

The primary purpose of this project is to develop and field test a core curriculum in agriculture for rural secondary schools and a core curriculum in agriculture for metropolitan or urban schools in Illinois. Activities of Phase 1 of the project were reviewing literature and interviewing industry representatives to identify pertinent research and…

This report provides information about the performance of 2009 graduating seniors who took the ACT as sophomores, juniors, or seniors; and self-reported at the time of testing that they were scheduled to graduate in 2009 and tested under standard time conditions. This report focuses on: (1) Performance: student test performance in the context of…

Nurse aide education is an issue that governmental and health care agencies are addressing. Nurse aides are employed in numerous and varied health care agencies, such as hospitals, nursing homes, physician's offices, and private homes. Although there are no educational requirements for nurse aides in Illinois, there are a number of formal training…

A survey of the directors of admission at 12 public and 46 private four-year colleges in Illinois was conducted to determine: (1) whether college credit earned by a student during the senior year of high school was recognized; (2) the areas to which this credit was generally applied; and (3) the factors considered in a decision regarding the…

On account of concern about declining achievement levels of high school graduates and proposed state legislation increasing graduation requirements to address this concern, this report analyzes current and proposed high school graduation requirements in Illinois, based on data compiled from local school documents, and compares the data to…

As part of a comprehensive study of all mandates placed by the state of Illinois on elementary and secondary education, an analysis was undertaken of the school day/school year mandate in its historical perspective, inquiring into its original purpose, how well that purpose has been served, whether the mandate is still needed, and whether a…