The collision between funding realities and the paramount goal of increasing educational attainment has brought new attention to ways to reduce postsecondary attrition and get more students who enroll in college to complete a degree or credential. Reductions in attrition are both educationally effective and cost effective. Students reach…

Previous research on attrition has focused on the economic consequences of low graduation rates in terms of costs to students and families (from tuition and fees that do not culminate in a credential), lost time, and income and tax losses from low educational attainment in the workforce. However, no systematic attention has been given to another…

This paper traces the development of methods for determining students' qualifications for the baccalaureate. In the 1700s and into the 1800s, students stood comprehensive examinations, which were often oral and public. Later in the 1800s, comprehensive examinations were written and reviewed by faculty, without involving public review. At the end…

America's high schools play an integral role in preparing students for college and work in the 21st century. High school success is more important than ever for the health of our economy, for civic life, and to ensure equal opportunity. Unfortunately, the quality of state high school graduation and dropout data is such that most states cannot…

Describes a retention assessment framework as a way of helping practitioners use existing literature and research to assess how good their institutional retention effort is. Addresses the rationale for the framework, why some institutions graduate students at higher rates than predicted given the entry characteristics of its students, and how to…

Several forces are driving Alaska's school accountability initiatives. These include: (1) the Legislature's passage in 1997 and 1998 of the High School Graduation Qualifying Examination (HSGQE) and other accountability measures; and (2) the passage by the U.S. Congress of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In the past, schools excluded some…

Members of the educational community are increasingly concerned that the dropout rate is too high. However, concerned educators and researchers do not agree who should be included in the data to determine the dropout rate. National definitions are needed so that accurate comparisons can be made. There is also a need to assess the effectiveness of…

The econometrics of higher education emerged from the development of human capital theory and efforts to estimate rates of return to education in the 1960s and 1970s. This paper surveys the various strands of the literature on the econometrics of higher education that have developed during the last 40 years and indicates how a collection of papers…

Never before in U.S. history has the quality of human resources--the skills and education of its people-been so important to the economic prospects of states and their residents. Within the next 20 years, the nation will lack 14 million people with postsecondary education unless states realize significant improvements in high school and…

The educational reform movement has caused parents, students, businesspersons, and legislators to question the relevance of vocational education. Charges that vocational education has become obsolete have compelled vocational educators to work on improving its image in three areas--function, quality, and style. The vocational education programs in…

There is agreement among most physical education professionals that the quality of graduate programs in physical education must be more closely monitored. There is general agreement that graduate degree programs in physical education are being offered by some institutions that have inadequate faculties, inadequate facilities, and inadequate…

Stereotypes of the overall character of the college student population are seen to have persisted, inaccurately, for several decades. The dangers of such stereotypes are pointed out and educators are warned against policies and practices based on misconceptions about today's students. Information from national surveys of over 95,000 undergraduates…

There are many advantages of small schools: community acceptance, innovative teachers, faculty input in school administration, and a family atmosphere; however, smaller schools also have problems such as fewer staff members, little choice of teachers by students, fewer approaches to teaching, little use of specialists, and fewer books and…

The legislative history and provisions, implementation, and intended use of 12 state-mandated programs are described. Florida's program was mandated in 1971. The other states (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) initiated programs after 1975; most are in their…

A party of vocational educators from the United Kingdom (UK) traveled to the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) to examine West German education and training for the hairdressing industry. During their study, the British educators examined the training with respect to entry into further education, industry, and school; vocational preparation;…