With an annual yearly growth rate of 9.3 percent over the last two decades, Advanced Placement courses have become a juggernaut in American high school education. AP courses are routinely perceived as an indicator of educational rigor, and many schools push to enroll low-income or minority students in these courses in the hope of preparing them…

The importance of college degree completion for U.S. society and economic competitiveness makes it imperative to improve educational outcomes for Latino students. Institutional leaders, educators, and policymakers who recognize this imperative are challenged to determine what they can do to improve educational outcomes for Latino students.…

The author relates how the idea behind the school he founded came from events that transpired in the incarceration of a 16-year-old client, Eddie. Eddie, who was charged with trespassing and stealing, pleaded to the author that he wanted "a program" instead of going to jail. However, the court found him guilty and sent him to jail. Years later,…

Since the National Defense Education Act of 1958, a primary objective of federal higher education policy has been to increase access to higher education for those who would not otherwise attend, especially those from low income backgrounds. Increasing attention is now being paid to enhancing student retention and graduation, making sure that…

THE FACTORS RELATED TO COUNSELING AND THEIR EFFECT UPON GRADUATION WERE STUDIED. THREE STUDIES WHICH HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY CONDUCTED WERE REPLICATED. THE PREVIOUS STUDIES WERE CONDUCTED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI BY SHEPHERD, BORRESEN, AND JOHNSON. THE PRESENT STUDY USED 471 SUBJECTS. A NONCOUNSELED COMPARISON GROUP WAS MATCHED TO A COUNSELED…

In a continuing effort to understand the decisions and life choices of Oregon's high school graduates, the Oregon University System conducted a telephone survey of a random sample of the class of 2005 Oregon high school graduates. This biennial study--the seventh in a series--sought to identify the proportion of the graduating class that attended…

This report presents findings and recommendations from a study of the current system used to identify and report Texas students who do not graduate from high school or who drop out of school before enrolling in high school, required by the Legislative Budget Board, State Auditor's Office, and the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Dropout rates…

Differences in the probability of graduating were studied for freshmen and transfer students at a metropolitan university. The study was based on students who arrived at Boise State University for the fall 1989 term (n=2,459). Of this group, 1,692 were new freshmen, and 767 were new transfers. The two groups were similar in gender and ethnicity.…

Discusses the way the notion of school completion is being cast, its supporting discourse, and the manner in which this has the potential to marginalize and exclude. Focus is not about why youths leave school before completion, but about how these youths assess their decisions to leave or not to leave in terms of the ideology regarding school…

Because of the lack of a definitive United States Supreme Court decision on prayers at graduation, school officials are left without clear direction. Analyzes two decisions that illustrate the differences in judicial opinion on the legality of prayers at graduation ceremonies. (MLF)

Study of an adult degree program used enrollment data 1986-96, course progression data 1990-95, and surveys of 140 enrolled and 250 not enrolled students. Three-fourths of those who graduated 1988-94 did so within three years; retention was most difficult in the self-directed and research phases; women's graduation rate was higher. (SK)

Predictability of graduation from the Community College of the Air Force was studied in a sample of 518 master sergeants. Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) electronics scores and gender were significant predictors; age, ethnicity, major, and ASVAB mechanical, administrative, and general scores were not. (SK)

Describes how what happens in the most elite institutions of higher education in the United States creates the body of knowledge and attitudes by which most colleges are judged. Among the issues for which this phenomenon is apparent are those of grade inflation, graduation rates, and core curricula. (SLD)

Discusses the origins and practices of Lavender Graduations, events in which the lives and achievements of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender college students are celebrated. Examines results of an evaluation survey, reviews implications for practice, and provides suggestions for future research. (Contains 19 references.) (GCP)