The first U.S. charter school opened in 1992, and the scale of the charter movement has since grown to 4,000 schools and more than a million students in 40 states plus the District of Columbia. With this growth has also come a contentious debate about the effects of the schools on their own students and on students in nearby traditional public…

This new Iowa Kids Count data book, "Iowa Kids Count 2008: Trends in the Well-Being of Iowa Children," is the latest annually produced book containing data on 18 different indicators of child and family well-being for the United States, Iowa and its 99 counties. The 18 indicators provide a wealth of health, education, welfare and…

This paper examines rural-urban differences in parent involvement in their children's education, drawing upon such concepts as "community attachment,""community cultural context,""family cultural capital," and "community social capital." As part of the 1992-93 Missouri School Improvement Program, nearly…

Data gathered in 1993 by the Census Bureau as part of the Survey of Income and Program Participation were analyzed to determine the relationship between level and field of training and economic status as of 1993. More than 27% of adults had obtained a degree of some type beyond high school, and the proportion of the adult population without a high…

This report examines whether the economic well-being of male immigrants to the United States improves substantially over time, details differences in economic progress of immigrants from different countries of origin, and assesses the impact of educational attainment on immigrants' earnings. Analyses are based on Public Use Micro Samples of the…

Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth are used to estimate empirically the impact on the earnings capacities of young female dropouts if they were to return to complete either a regular high school education or a General Educational Development (GED) degree. To reduce the potential upward bias on these estimated rates of return,…

Previous explanations of teen pregnancy have often included uncritical use of the notion of adolescents "at risk." More recently, however, attention has shifted to structurally determined contextual factors to explain teen pregnancy. Such factors include economic and educational opportunities and costs, as well as chances for valued…

This report presents information on infants and toddlers with disabilities and special health care needs enrolled in Washington State early intervention services. Enrollment numbers, rates, and patterns are discussed. Out of a total of 264,410 children ages 36 months and under, 4,324 were enrolled in an early intervention service plan as of…

The effects of divorce on children have been greatly disputed among therapists. Since the perceived harmfulness of divorce may affect how marital counseling is done, this study examined how therapists' beliefs about divorce consequences are related to their intervention preferences. A two-part questionnaire was devised to be administered to…

A study examined retelling as a reading comprehension-enhancing technique. Subjects were 26 urban, lower socio-economic fourth graders from New Jersey (Essex County), including 10 girls and 16 boys. A control sample answered questions as a follow-up to reading basal stories; an experimental sample retold the stories as a follow-up. Comparable…

This paper examines the relationship between school size and student achievement in California elementary schools with varying student characteristics and urban/rural locations. Previous research on school size addressed questions of scale economy, efficiency, and equity, but was not conclusive regarding the effect of elementary school size on…

This Master's research project involved implementation of a program to increase learning readiness skills of children entering kindergarten. The target population was pre-kindergarten students in a changing urban community in northern Illinois. The problem of lack of readiness skills for learning was documented through teacher tests and…

Systematic knowledge about the dimensions and levels of literacy and information about its distribution are prerequisites for forming good educational policy. This issue discusses the conduct and findings of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS). The IALS was not intended to rank literacy skills across countries, but was intended to make…

The relationship between educational expenditures and pupil achievement has been a topic of increasing interest to legislators, school boards, and more recently, the courts. This paper examines the relationships among various measures of school district wealth and spending, other school district characteristics, and student achievement within the…

This volume of essays examines the role of women in the development of public higher education at the University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin State Universities. Part 1, "Turn of the Century Beginnings," contains an essay by Jean Droste titled "Vocational Aspirations and Job Realities." Part 2 focuses on women in the professional…