The Upward Bound program seeks to promote high school completion and college attendance of high school students who come from low-income families or have parents who did not complete college. Specifically, Upward Bound projects provide academic instruction, career planning, and college application services, during the regular school year and…

This paper examines the impact on student learning of the Programa para Abatir el Rezago Educativo (PARE), which aimed to improve the quality and efficiency of primary education in four Mexican states by increasing school resources. PARE was implemented in the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Chiapas, and Hidalgo, which have the highest incidence of…

Low initial employment rates and high attrition among teachers are factors recognized as major contributors to the national teacher shortage. This research compared the effectiveness of three teacher preparation methods used in Texas: alternative certification programs (ACPs), Centers for Professional Development and Technology (CPDTs), and…

A study looked at how a science and mathematics intervention program for middle school girls, the "Voices" program, affected African American students and their families. Effects of the program on academic achievement and participation and persistence in school were also studied. The Voices program was implemented in one urban and one rural county…

In September 1999, a pilot program of Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) was introduced in 15 local education authorities (LEAs) in England to provide payments to students aged 16-19 who are from low-income families and who are attending full-time courses in schools and colleges. Participants are entitled to 2 years' support and must be…

A study investigated the people and actions related to two successful gifted advocacy events that included state legislative changes. Five ingredients of success represented the key characteristics common to the leaders in each advocacy group: passion, preparation, inspiration, perseverance, and the ability to take advantage of serendipity.…

The study found that high-risk college freshmen (N=74) who successfully completed a freshman orientation course were less likely to drop out and achieved higher grade point averages over a three-year period than students not in an orientation course. (Author/MLW)

Research shows that learning communities are an effective way to improve student performance and persistence, but the success of any particular implementation is not guaranteed. Each program should be evaluated with regard to the likelihood that better-prepared students tend to participate. The protocol used for evaluation at Indiana…

The present study examines the effect of participation of first-year university students in a full-year peer mentoring program as well as individual differences in motivation in relation to outcome measures of retention and achievement. A sample of 983 first year students completed the Academic Motivation Inventory (Tremblay, 1998) and agreed to…

The success of Project Launch, a teacher induction program sponsored by a regional teacher center and a consortium of universities, is compared for rural and non-rural participants. Indicators of success include teacher accomplishment of action plan goals, teacher self and mentor assessment of teaching strengths related to action plan goals,…

Concerns about noncompletion and the quality of the 1st-year student experience have been linked to recent changes in higher education such as modularisation, increased class sizes, greater diversity in the student intake and reduced resources. Improving formative assessment and feedback processes is seen as one way of addressing academic failure,…

To examine the effects of developmental and remedial course participation on student retention and academic performance, Sinclair Community College, in Ohio, undertook a study of outcomes after 3 years for the 1,798 first-time, degree or certificate students who enrolled in fall 1990. Students were grouped based on need for remedial coursework and…

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a 3-year federally funded project that developed and evaluated interventions aimed at increasing retention of special education teachers. The interventions developed and evaluated consisted of: (1) a series of stress management workshops aimed at preventing or alleviating teacher burnout,…

This report examines how seven merit scholarship programs in six southern states help increase participation in postsecondary education. The programs are: Florida Bright Futures; Georgia HOPE Scholarships; Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarships; Louisiana Tuition Opportunity Program for Students; Maryland Science and Technology Scholarship…

This study analyzed the academic and demographic characteristics of 2,939 students admitted to the University of Louisville (Kentucky) Preparatory Division (an academic/enrollment unit for all students initially inadmissible to a degree-granting unit) who achieved eligibility to transfer to a degree-granting unit of the University. It also…