The book analyses and evaluates several key community college reform programs that emerged after the Recession of 2008 and as a result of major initiatives in California, New York, Tennessee, Florida, Connecticut and Wisconsin. Because of the economic downturn in the early 21st Century, an already eroding financial base for public higher education…

The transition from school to university can prove problematic for a number of academic and social reasons and first-year attrition rates are high. Research suggests that first-year students need help adjusting to a new phase of learning in a larger community of practice and that a student's decision to leave represents a negative combination of…

Massive Open Online Courses appear to have high attrition rates, involve students in peer-assessment with patriotic bias and promote education for already educated people. This paper suggests a formative assessment model which takes into consideration these issues. Specifically, this paper focuses on the assessment of open-format questions in…

A recent study, "The Effects of Cognitive Strategy Instruction on Math Problem Solving of Middle School Students of Varying Ability," examined the effectiveness of "Solve It!," a program intended to improve the problem-solving skills of seventh-grade math students. During the program, students are taught cognitive strategies of…

The vocational education and training (VET) sector is a major pathway to post-school education for indigenous students, yet questions are being raised about the capacity of the VET system to provide successful outcomes for the indigenous apprentices and trainees it attracts. Within a system plagued by high cancellation rates in general, indigenous…

This paper explores the emergence of selective admission policies in Dutch university education. Such policies are being developed to promote excellence in a higher education system that is generally known to be "egalitarian" and increasingly criticized for a lack of differentiation. The changing policy context of admission in Dutch…

K12 Inc. enrolls more public school students than any other private education management organization in the U.S. Much has been written about K12 Inc. (referred to in this report simply as "K12") by financial analysts and investigative journalists because it is a large, publicly traded company and is the dominant player in the operation…

Group of Eight (Go8) universities currently provide a wide range of services and programs to facilitate access and support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. However, Go8 Vice-Chancellors have also agreed to develop jointly a coordinated equity strategy to increase the participation and success of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.…

Achievement data from a longitudinally matched student cohort from a large school district in the southwestern United States were analyzed to investigate sample exclusion and student attrition effects on estimates of student, school, and district mathematics performance. Use of 2- and 3-level longitudinal growth models to estimate the growth…

"Check & Connect" is a dropout prevention strategy that relies on close monitoring of school performance, as well as mentoring, case management, and other supports. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviewed six studies on "Check & Connect" that were designed to assess the program's effectiveness. Four of these studies…

Evaluated a retention program designed to increase academic self-concept by engaging participants (N=25) in a 10-week course that taught career planning, cultural awareness, job interviewing, resume writing skills, and academic responsibility. Results suggest that the course had no effect on academic self-concept of African American male college…

The Take Advantage Now/Parent Education Project (TAN/PEP) is based on the knowledge that college students need their parents' help for academic success. The program was developed at Brooklyn College to offer education, support, and counseling for parents and guardians of entering freshmen who have been accepted in a program known as Search,…

This report evaluates the last year of the Comprehensive Bilingual Education Program, supported by Title VII funding and carried out at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in the Bronx, New York. The program served approximately 300 Spanish dominant students and focused on the development of Spanish and English language and reading skills, math,…

This study examined the effectiveness of different topics/activities included in a freshman orientation course in enhancing the students' perception of their successful adjustment to college life and the impact of these subjects on the student level of persistence. The results support the Tinto stage model of persistence since the elements of the…

First-year activities of Women in Technical Education, a project to develop a model for women in that field, were evaluated. A formative evaluation showed that intense development and implementation activity enabled achievement of first-year goals and objectives during the 1990-91 year. Procedures to accomplish objectives were effective.…