In North Carolina, rural communities experience high rates of chronic illness due to health inequities exacerbated by the decline of major industries. Community gardens increase access to fresh produce and opportunities for physical activity and may offer additional benefits. These benefits can be difficult to measure as they are often unplanned…

This report is the third in a series of reports designed to analyze the impact of the fiscal cutbacks on opportunity for higher education in the California State University system, the huge network of 23 universities that provide the greatest amount of Bachelor of Arts (BA) level of education in the state. The first study, "Higher Tuition,…

Ethnic studies includes units of study, courses, or programs that are centered on the knowledge and perspectives of an ethnic or racial group, reflecting narratives and points of view rooted in that group's lived experiences and intellectual scholarship. Supporters say ethnic studies promotes respect and understanding among races, supports student…

Background: Cigarette use remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Although school is an ideal setting for antismoking interventions, school-based programs have not been successful in the long term. The purpose of this study was to explore characteristics of programs deemed to be successful short-term Research-Tested…

A computerized safety decision aid was developed and tested with Spanish or English-speaking abused women in shelters or domestic violence (DV) support groups (n = 90). The decision aid provides feedback about risk for lethal violence, options for safety, assistance with setting priorities for safety, and a safety plan personalized to the user.…

This report focuses on two aspects of teacher supply and quality: (a) the under-representation of racial/ethnic minorities, especially African Americans in the teaching pool, and (b) teacher candidates' performance on licensure assessments, including general skills tests in reading, writing, and mathematics (known as Praxis I[R]) and selected…

GED [General Educational Development] Tests offer many young adults who have left school a second chance to gain a credential, yet many educators have concerns about policies for very young test-takers and how they perform on the GED Tests. The GED Testing Service sets the absolute minimum age for taking the GED Tests at 16 years of age. However,…

This report describes the activities of the Higher Education Opportunity Programs (HEOP) at the independent colleges and universities in New York State for the 1990-91 academic year. HEOP is a program that helps academically and economically disadvantaged students earn college degrees. Highlights of the report include the following: (1) in 1990-91…

The State of the Science conference was held in May, 2007 as part of the ongoing series of national conferences, "Building on Family Strengths," conducted by the Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health at Portland State University. The theme of this State-of-the Science conference was "Effective…

This study assesses the degree to which culturally specific interventions enhance substance abuse prevention effectiveness for targeted cultural groups. A large and diverse (African American, Hispanic, American Indian, and Asian) sample of 10,500 youth across 48 programs was obtained. Youth participating in culturally specific programming showed…

Reports on an evaluation of a 1989 summer program at the University of Colorado (Colorado Springs) designed to motivate and prepare low-income minority sophomore and junior college students to go on to graduate study. Results with 23 Chicanos, 2 Native Americans, and 1 Asian American support the program's effectiveness. (SLD)

Millions of World War II veterans took advantage of the legislative drive establishing the Serviceman's Readjustment Act of 1944, the GI Bill. A Department of Veterans Affairs report examined how Vietnam veterans fared in higher education. Based on college participation rates (actually, training starts), not completion rates, Vietnam veterans…

A study gathered information on the estimated population eligible to be served by the federal-state vocational rehabilitation (VR) program. It contrasted those accepted and those not, described services clients received, and evaluated the program's outcomes. The study found that, in national surveys in the 1980s, 14-18 million people reported work…

An evaluation was conducted of minority (Black, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian) and female performance in the Army's Initial Entry Rotary Wing flight training program. Each minority group was compared to a matched sample of majority students. The groups were matched on several test scores, education level, age, rank, and source of entry. The…

A study of 24 Hispanic and American Indian college students attempted to refine the concept of academic integration in Tinto's model of education withdrawal. Findings suggest that measurement of academic integration could be strengthened by including indicators of the substance and process of academic advising, as students experience it.…