In American popular culture, the word "rural" invokes images of sunny farms and little red schoolhouses--while "urban" means drugs, poverty, and crime. But those who know the reality of both worlds will say that rural schools face many of the same challenges as their urban counterparts. The problems of rural schools are often…

With the tuition cost of traditional colleges and universities soaring and education technology advancing, online courses and degree programs are becoming more common. Some critics argue that an online degree cannot provide all the important features of a traditional college education, from extracurricular activities to new professional networks,…

A total of 4,197 course withdrawal questionnaires completed during the normal course withdrawal process at ten Texas community colleges during fall 1976 provided the data for this study of reasons for course withdrawal. Total withdrawals comprehended in the study included 3,394 university transfer/academic courses (81%), 745 occupational/technical…

Eric Hanushek and Steven Rivkin examine how salary and working conditions affect the quality of instruction in the classroom. The wages of teachers relative to those of other college graduates have fallen steadily since 1940. Today, average wages differ little, however, between urban and suburban districts. In some metropolitan areas urban…

The 71st Texas Legislature established several pilot programs for the 1989-90 and 1990-91 school years with the aim of improving the academic performance of and reducing the dropout rate of public school students. This report combines information about pilot programs from these 2 school years with cost surveys and descriptions of the programs.…

A study was conducted to identify the competencies needed by students entering auto mechanics programs with emphasis on competencies which handicapped students either possess or could be expected to attain. The research was divided into two parts. First, through two rounds of questionnaires (modified Delphi Technique) mailed to a panel of twelve…

Texas's state plan for homeless education is presented in response to requirements of Title VII-B of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987. The plan is comprised of prefatory material, four main sections, and four appendices. The prefatory material consists of the following parts: (1) a prefatory statement; (2) a copy of the…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of high school counselors and college and university representatives as perceived by college freshmen. A further purpose was to determine if significant differences existed in the perception of student articulation problems by high school counselors, junior college admission officers,…

This report discusses results of the 1998 Texas School Survey of Substance Abuse among Students. Results for secondary students were based on responses of 158,324 students in 66 school districts. This book is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the findings of the survey on a drug-by-drug basis to provide information on trends in the…

"Minding the Gap" argues that in today's highly competitive, global economy, all young people need a postsecondary education. Yet only one in ten students from the lowest economic quintile in the United States currently earns a postsecondary credential. This timely and instructive book from Jobs for the Future explores policies and…

Reports and abstracts are presented for research conducted during 1981 on community college education in Texas. Four institutional research reports are provided first: an evaluation of the effectiveness of the developmental studies program at North Harris County College; a study of retention patterns at Amarillo College by Stanley Adelman and Kay…