A longitudinal study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC), in Illinois, to observe the performance and achievement of students entering the college each fall from 1967 through 1986. Academic and personal data from transcripts were analyzed for randomly selected samples of 200 full- and 200 part-time students from each fall's…

These proceedings contain 36 presentations: "Vocational Guidance: Current Issues" (Marland); "Academic Excellence--Its Meaning for Hawaii's Schools" (Barney); "Educational Level or Occupational Activity and Intelligence Level" (Dupont); "The Organization and Administration of Career Guidance in the Educational…

The report of the National Longitudinal Transition Study presents initial findings on the educational experiences since 1985-86 of more than 8,000 youth (ages 13 to 23) with disabilities. The report addresses three questions: (1) What educational programs and other services are provided to secondary special education students? (2) How well do…

The relationship between declining scores on national standardized tests and grade inflation is explored. Grade inflation refers to the indicated measure of evaluation of student performance having higher placement than is usual based on the performances. Data for this study were taken from the American College Testing (ACT) Program Class Profile…

This monograph is the third of a trilogy of studies on the Unitas Therapeutic Community, a program that attempts to strengthen the competencies of the Hispanic and Black youngsters living in the Longwood/Hunts Point section of the South Bronx, New York City. The program uses indigenous nonprofessionals as surrogate parents, uncles, and aunts for…

Although the general thrust of recent education reports and studies--to strengthen the academic quality of secondary education--has been salutary, efforts fall short of giving clear direction for school improvement in a number of areas particularly important to urban school superintendents. The reports fail to recognize the unique context of urban…

Based on findings from the "High School and Beyond" (HS&B) national longitudinal study conducted in 1980, an agenda is suggested for decision making within schools that serve Hispanic children. This agenda is based on the needs and attitudes of the children and includes the following: (1) an emphasis on human relations of the school…

Two years of language study is a requirement in most colleges and universities for many degree programs and, at the high school level, an expectation for college-bound students. However, some very capable students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) have difficulty learning a second language. Recent research has identified characteristics of…

Findings concerning environmental factors that relate to minority degree achievement in predominantly white four-year colleges and universities are discussed, based on a study sponsored by the National Center for Postsecondary Governance and Finance. The findings are used to suggest adaptations to a "Framework for Evaluating Institutional…

A strategy to improve retention and graduation rates of culturally-diverse students in postsecondary settings is described, along with a framework for counselors and educators working with these students. A guided studies seminar in psychological education utilizes a highly-structured educational program and emphasizes the Deliberate Psychological…

In 1982-83, a study conducted at Mott Community College (MCC) identified 322 students, or 6% of the student body, as "grossly skill deficient," (i.e., achieving at the junior high school level or below in all basic skill areas). In November 1985, the transcripts of those 322 students were assembled and analyzed to determine enrollment patterns and…

The Joint First-Stage Achievement Test (JFAT) is a new unified college entrance examination developed in Japan. This report presents the statistical results of the JFAT and the applicants' behavior change which appeared through the first six years of administration from 1979 to 1984. Three major features of the JFAT are described: (1) jointly made…

The study reported in this paper quantitatively integrated the recent research findings on ability grouping in order to generalize about these effects on student achievement and student self-concept. Meta-analysis was used to statistically integrate the empirical data. The relationships among various experimental variables including grade level,…

This paper analyzes college entrance examinations and graduation rates as indicators of the quality of education and of school systems in the South. The following implications and conclusions are discussed: (1) Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SATS) were designed to measure outcomes for students intending to continue on to higher education and thus are…

In an attempt to correlate effective school practices with actual observed student achievement, a survey instrument concerning principal leadership and school climate was distributed to classroom teachers in the Oklahoma City Public Schools. Responses by more than half of the teachers yielded 1,294 usable questionnaires representing all 94 schools…