This study used data on 1992 high school graduates from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (a survey that began with eighth graders in 1988 and followed them every two years through 1994) to examine the critical junctures when at-risk high school graduates are most likely to leave the pipeline to college enrollment, and to identify…

This digest discusses the findings of empirical studies on teacher-directed and child-initiated preschool programs. Three long-term preschool curriculum comparison studies--the High/Scope Preschool Curriculum Comparison, the Louisville Head Start Study, and the University of Illinois Study--were started in the 1970s. These studies indicated that…

This report describes the findings of 10 focus group meetings that discussed issues related to the performance of students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) on Minnesota's Basic Standards Exams. Ten groups were formed, with one group of parents and one of students representing each of the following language communities: Cambodian, Hmong, Lao,…

Topics of NECC '98 (National Educational Computing Conference) papers presented at this conference on technology in education include: digital portfolios; technology-integrated multidisciplinary curriculum design; a virtual Web site; a computer literacy course; Internet projects for various subjects; staff development; music videos; interaction of…

Schools use a variety of ways to group students for instruction; most prevalent in middle level schools seems to be ability grouping. Arguments once considered persuasive for ability grouping are losing influence given evidence that the practice results in few achievement benefits and several negative effects. This Digest discusses attitudes…

Studies show that community colleges with more liberal arts courses have higher rates of transfer to four-year institutions than those with a less general curriculum. This paper surveys the research conducted on the community college collegiate function in order determine the influence of the liberal arts curriculum and student support services on…

This manual is a support document that supplements other Career & Technology Studies (CTS) documents, including the "Career and Technology Studies Program of Studies" and the "Guide to Standards and Implementation" for each strand. Appendixes support each section and may be photocopied or adapted. Section A describes CTS…

This handbook presents statistics about the public and private schools of Maryland. In 1998 there were 841,671 public school students in Maryland and 175,622 nonpublic school students, representing a 9.1% increase in the public school enrollment over 5 years and a 15.9% increase in the nonpublic school enrollment over 5 years. There were 1,355…

Since a substantial majority of preschoolers participate in some form of child care before coming to school, the Cost, Quality, and Child Outcomes in Child Care Centers Study (CQO) was designed to examine the influence of typical center-based child care on children's development during their preschool years and as they move into formal elementary…

A study investigated the postsecondary intentions and the actual outcomes of secondary transition among 321 students from five schools in New Zealand. Phase 1 identified students who did not intend to return to secondary school. The next year (2000), they became the target population for Phase 2, which examined the students' actual continuation on…

In 1992, the U.S. Departments of Defense and Education jointly created a new high school program aimed at encouraging at-risk youth to remain in school until graduation. The program, which is a marriage of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) and the comprehensive high school reform initiative known as career academies, was called…

This Kids Count Data Book examines statewide trends in the well-being of Alaska's children. The statistical portrait is based on key indicators in six areas: (1) infancy, including prenatal care, low birth weight, and infant mortality; (2) economic well-being, including child poverty, children with no parent working full-time, and teen births; (3)…

The data presented in this National Education Association report provide facts about public educational resources committed by local, state, and national governments for state and local affiliates, researchers, policymakers, and the public as a tool to examine public education services. Regardless of state-by-state variations, improvements in…

A longitudinal study described variations and changes in New Zealand children's cognitive, social, communicative, and problem-solving competencies from school entry at age 5 years and examined the impact of early childhood education experiences, family resources, home activities, and school resources on those competencies. This report, the third…

The transition from high school to college and work for tech prep participants was examined in a 4-year longitudinal study of local tech prep consortia in eight regions of the United States. The study methodology drew heavily on transcript analysis and two surveys with tech prep participants and nonparticipants. The tech prep participants and…