Reports results of a study of the characteristics, educational background, and academic achievement of 3,948 transfer students to the University of Missouri. Findings are reported in terms of student demographics and previous higher education experience, characteristics of transfer students who graduated, interaction effects in the graduate group,…

Two theme articles are included. "Countdown to Graduation" (Pautler) presents a 6-month plan to help high school seniors make a smooth transition to the next phase of their lives. "Vendor's Viewpoint--Developing Career Behaviors" (Shadrin) urges educators to teach students how to be successful in the workplace in addition to the "what" of work.…

The Young Adult Education Program in Arlington Heights (Illinois) offers high school credit classes in the evening to serve at-risk students who have left the regular day school. Students earn a diploma from the high school in their attendance area. On a bare-bones budget, the program graduates approximately 65 percent of its enrolled students.…

Data from all Ph.D. students in four fields at Cornell University, 1962-1986, showed that students with fellowships or research assistantships had higher completion rates and took less time to complete their degrees than did than those with teaching assistantships, tuition waivers, or self-support. (SK)

This article shows how the methods of survival analysis (also known as event history analysis) lend themselves to the study of the timing of educational events. Using examples from teacher attrition and student dropout research, survival methods are introduced for building statistical models of the risk of event occurrence over time. (Author/SLD)

A study examined the structural relationship among four constructs--motivational factors, student background, academic performance, and student persistence in college--for both minorities and non-minorities. Although motivation failed to impact academic performance for either racial subgroup, there was a significant motivational effect on…

Using traditional Native research methods (talking circles and vision quests), a teacher at Edmonton (Alberta) Public Schools discovered why Canadian Native students' dropout rate was so high. Kids' complaints about poor relationships with teachers, racism, peer pressure, and poor family support were heeded, and successful interventions were…

Comparison of teacher-assigned grades and Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) scores in English, math, and science for 736 eighth-graders reveals that MCAS hurts African-Americans and Latinos/as in math and girls in math and science. Equitability disparities indicate the need for caution in high-stakes testing; scores should be…

Describes a study investigating two young, working class, African American men's differing meanings of diplomas, relationships with teachers, and relationships with male peers in the production of their racial, masculine identities. Data from interviews with the students indicate that though they were from similar social locations, they developed…

Discusses efforts by colleges and legislatures to encourage undergraduates to finish in four years, as stretched budgets and anticipation of record enrollments spark efforts to return to tradition. (EV)

Using national survey data, multilevel modeling techniques, and descriptive statistics, this study makes an effort to understand the influence of the financial context of institutions on the chance of college completion for low socioeconomic status (SES) students at four-year colleges and universities. This research shows that college completion…

In this article, the authors propose to take advantage of detailed data on Egyptian public schools (grades 6-8, the last 3 years of the 8-year compulsory schooling sequence) that were collected in conjunction with a national survey of Egyptian adolescents. The school data were collected in a subsample of the primary sampling units used for the…

While Part I looked at the entire cohort of 8th graders and what became of them 12-years later, this section focuses on the NELS cohort that went on to postsecondary education. For that reason, we suggest caution in comparing data herein with those in Part I. The percentages will not match up perfectly between reports because the cohorts analyzed…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Senate Begins Debate on Education Spending Bill: White House Threatens Presidential Veto; (2) NCLB Timetable in…