The goal of the research was to learn about the opinions of Texas college students on the death penalty and to determine the impact that prior interaction with the criminal justice system through incarceration or employment had on their opinions. A sequential, explanatory mixed methodology was implemented during the data collection, analysis, and…

An East Texas Independent School District has a historically high teacher turnover rate that has been consistently higher than the state's and the regional service center's rates for the past ten years. The school district serves a rural community in northeast Texas with a low socioeconomic and predominantly white student body population. This…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 placed high demands on public schools by requiring that all students become proficient in math and reading by the year 2014. Many public schools responded to the demand by limiting curriculum to the core curriculum, particularly in the lengthening of the amount of time spent studying the subjects reading and…

This quantitative study utilized secondary self-reported data from the 2008 administration of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey from two Texas public universities to investigate the pre-college demographic, academic, attitude, behavioral, and familial factors that may relate to students' self-reported political…

The "Texas K-12 & School Choice Survey" project, commissioned by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and conducted by Braun Research, Inc. (BRI), measures Texas registered voters' familiarity and views on a range of K-12 education topics and school choice reforms. The author and his colleagues report response levels and…

The purpose of this Modified Delphi study was to discern the appropriate profile of an incoming freshman and the essential knowledge and skills freshmen need for academic success beyond high school. This study was conducted to examine the specific problem that the structure of public high school curriculum and the current college standards in the…

This study attempted to gain insight into what teacher candidates think about teacher-competency testing and how test results should be used. A majority of students were negative toward testing, and the weight test scores could be given in hiring and evaluation of teachers. Implications and recommendations are discussed. (MT)

A study of teachers of vocational agriculture (n=142, 47 percent) found that opinion leaders tend to be older, more experienced, have longer tenure at their present school, and have received more college credit hours since beginning to teach. (JOW)

The Texas attorney general has said that this state's textbook antievolution rules violate the First Amendment. Responses and issues related to this statement are discussed. The history of these rules is also discussed. (JN)

In an attempt to describe a typical Texas teacher, a study was conducted to establish baseline data in conjunction with the Texas State Teachers Association. In May 1990, a questionnaire with 78 discrete questions, 3 continuous data questions, and 1 open-ended question was sent to 560 teachers. The return rate was 40 percent. The results include a…

Distinctive characteristics of higher education institutions in Texas are described. Its lack of recognition as a leading state higher education system is emphasized. Academe in Texas is viewed as being in the developing stages but showing great potential. (BH)

Reactions to the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and debate over the president's replacement nomination, Judge John Roberts, Jr., of the D.C. Circuit, dominated this summer's Supreme Court recess. Subsequently, after Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist's death on September 3, 2005, President Bush nominated Roberts for the chief justice…

This study examines the perceptions of directors of curriculum and instruction in three regions of the United States: Massachusetts, Texas, and Wisconsin. The purpose was to determine to what extent an effort was made to provide inservice training for teachers, administrators, board members, and community members on issues of gender equity in…

Issues related to bilingual bicultural education of Mexican American students are discussed in this collection of 26 articles contributed by 12 authors. The anthology focuses on the Mexican American in the Southwest and is intended primarily, though not exclusively, for the reader who is unfamiliar with the Spanish language and culture. Selections…