Given the dramatic risks and rewards to different graduate pathways, it is imperative to understand disparities in access to the highest levels of education. This paper responds to a tension between the traditional understanding that parents' education ceases to influence children's educational trajectories after college and the more recent…

This brief summarizes five benefits of schools providing the PreACT® to all their students. The PreACT 8/9 (an earlier version of the PreACT test that is more appropriate for students in grades 8 and 9) and PreACT assessments are designed to provide students with an indication of their educational progress in the context of preparing for the ACT®…

This report provides a descriptive comparison of the early care and education (ECE) landscape across rural, moderate-density urban (suburban), and high-density urban areas. The goal of this comparison was to understand whether ECE availability and characteristics in rural areas differ from those in more densely populated communities. We used…

Researchers reviewed existing research and conducted an original analysis of data from a large, nationally representative sample of Latino kindergartners with the aim of understanding what factors are associated with math achievement prior to and during the kindergarten year. This report begins by providing an overview of the research on the…

This report looks at the progress of the ACT®-tested 2018 U.S. high school graduating class relative to college and career readiness. The data in this report are based on more than 1.9 million graduates--55% of the students in the 2018 national graduating class--who took the ACT at some time from grade 10 to 12. The ACT was taken by the majority…

This report looks at the progress of the 2017 ACT®-tested graduating class relative to college and career readiness. This year's report shows that 60% of students in the 2017 US graduating class took the ACT test, up from 54% in 2013. The increased number of test takers over the past several years enhances the breadth and depth of the data pool,…

The Common Core of Data (CCD) nonfiscal surveys consist of data submitted annually to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) by state education agencies (SEAs) in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the four U.S. Island Areas (American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin…

"Kids Count in Colorado!" is an annual publication of the Colorado Children's Campaign, which provides the best available state- and county-level data to measure and track the education, health and general well-being of the state's children. "Kids Count in Colorado!" informs policy debates and community discussions, serving as…

Cross-country evidence on student achievement might be hampered by omitted country characteristics such as language or legal differences. This paper uses cross-state variation in Germany, whose sixteen states share the same language and legal system, but pursue different education policies. The same results found previously across countries hold…

This special supplement to the Winter 2003 issue of "National CrossTalk" offers a snapshot of round one of the current recession and its impact on state higher education budgets enacted and revised in the last half of 2002. It is a composite drawn from the most credible national sources of higher education information in the states at the…

Impacts of both the originally proposed and the recently adopted University of California freshman admissions formulas on the regularly admitted freshman at Berkeley in the fall of 1972 and 1973 were assessed. The sex, ethnic characteristics, and graduation rates are examined for students who would have been included and excluded by the formulas.…

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…

This longitudinal study examined the effects on children of three kindergarten schedules: half day, alternate day, and full day. A secondary purpose was to examine the relationship between preschool attendance and subsequent school performance. Two additional variables thought to be related to school success were also explored: children's gender,…

The second annual status report on the implementation of the Maryland statewide plan for postsecondary education and on additional issues for action is presented. The following areas are considered: enrollments; programs; finance; facilities; faculty, libraries, and computer services; implementation of role and mission actions; and new planning…