The 2024 North Carolina Education Primer serves as a fact-based guide to public education in North Carolina. The Primer provides a comprehensive overview of how education policy is made, along with the current state of public education and the policies guiding it. The Forum produces this guide in order to inform current policymakers, candidates…

In today's economy, graduating from high school is more important than ever. The economic consequences of dropping out of high school are more severe than in the past, with diminished job prospects and life-time earnings (Rouse, 2007). There are also substantial social costs associated with high school dropouts such as lower productivity and tax…

Paraeducators perform multiple roles in U.S. classrooms, including among others preparing classroom activities, working with students individually and in small groups, supporting individualized programming for students with disabilities, managing classroom behavior, and engaging with parents and communities. Yet, little research provides insights…

In this article, the authors describe a field experiment in the classroom where principles of micro-economics students are randomly assigned into homework-required and not-required groups. The authors find that homework plays an important role in student learning, especially so for students who initially perform poorly in the course. Students in…

Do students really enroll in Introductory Geology because they think it is "rocks for jocks"? In this study, we examine the widely held assumption that students view geology as a qualitative and remedial option for fulfilling a general education requirement. We present the first quantitative characterization of a large number of…

In 2010-11, Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) was in district-wide improvement as a result of failing to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in mathematics at the district level for the second consecutive year. This report examines student outcomes in 2010-11 as well as overall teacher outcomes and longitudinal results for schools targeted…

The study was conducted to identify characteristics of students currently pursuing programs of correspondence instruction and to locate populations within North Carolina not presently being served in this way. Data from the application forms of 841 persons currently enrolled in correspondence study instruction at the University of North Carolina…

This quantitative study uses data from North Carolina to examine the extent to which survey based perceptions of working conditions are predictive of policy-relevant outcomes, independent of other school characteristics such as the demographic mix of the school's students. Working conditions emerge as highly predictive of teachers' stated…

Discusses the role of selected variables in explaining changes in reading and mathematics achievement scores of fourth-graders in a low-wealth school district in North Carolina. Examines school and teacher characteristics, selected expenditures per student, and student demographics. Concludes that certain student demographic factors are…

A survey of 10,074 full- and part-time community college students in North Carolina concluded that community colleges in attempting to serve all segments of society do serve a cross-section of the population but only when both credit and non-credit continuing education students are considered together. (JG)

A study investigated whether Future Farmers of America (FFA) members and non-members differed in their perception of the overall image of FFA and whether their perceptions were influenced by social and demographic characteristics. A questionnaire was administered to 404 first-year students enrolled in the Agriscience Applications course in 27 high…

A study investigated whether Future Farmers of America (FFA) members and non-members differed in their perception of FFA programs and services and whether their perceptions were influenced by gender and ethnicity, enrollment choice, prior enrollment in an agricultural class, block scheduling, grade level, and extracurricular activities. A…

In the fall quarter of 1988, a survey was sent to 20,047 students enrolled in North Carolina's 58 community colleges to gather information on student demographics by major, students' reliance on the community colleges as an avenue for furthering their education, the impact of commuting distance on attendance, patterns in college choice, the impact…

Selected information is displayed in the form of charts, tables, and graphs about: (1) the State Student Incentive Grant (SSIG) program and other state-level student financial assistance programs; (2) the primary state agency or organization responsible for administering these programs; and (3) the general state characteristics relating to student…

To provide school systems, organizations, and individuals interested in improving rural education with current information on local conditions, the Rural Education Institute of East Carolina University has compiled demographic and educational data on 41 eastern North Carolina counties into this educational atlas. The 32 maps show the 41 counties…