Six personal statements of interest in a residency, each from a different type of fictitious candidate, were randomly selected for mailing to 2,478 board-certified Ohio physicians practicing in 6 specialties in which women are underrepresented and 3,586 physicians in specialties in which women are overrepresented. Physicians consistently rated…

Reports findings of a 1988 study on intellectual freedom in media centers in Wisconsin. General status information and factors influencing challenge outcomes are discussed. Data on materials selection policy, media specialist characteristics, complaints, and roles of those involved in challenges are presented. The appendix describes the…

Examines nationally collected data on the placement rates of students with disabilities across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Results indicate that some states have made significant progress toward serving students with disabilities in less restrictive settings, whereas others have made very little progress. (CR)

Two studies employed differing levels of analysis to explain the distribution of preschool availability, examining distribution in 100 counties nationwide and using zip-code-level data for Massachusetts. Together the studies show that the degree of distributional equity varies among states and locales, conditioned by household and policy…

Based on a 1993 survey of 187 children's librarians in 14 states, this status report summarizes and discusses data representing input measures, output measures, fill rates, and special questions about the relationship between school and public libraries. It makes recommendations for improving the quantity and quality of data used to make decisions…

Investigates possible reasons for the underrepresentation of school social workers in Nevada. Surveys special educators about their attitudes toward social work as a pupil support service. Significant differences were found among educators and the value they placed on social workers. Educators with more knowledge about the role of social work in…

Discusses a survey mailed to community college faculty members and department/division chairpersons in the humanities and social sciences divisions in a southern state. Explores the relationship between departmental chairperson's interpersonal behavior and perceived leadership effectiveness. Suggests that effective department chairpersons possess…

This study surveyed the states concerning discrepancies between federal and state counts of the number of students identified as visually impaired. States overwhelmingly reported higher state counts than federal counts. Major reasons suggested for the discrepancy are federal count exclusion of students with additional disabilities and of students…

Critical review of "Education Week's" annual compilation "Quality Counts." (PKP)

This article discusses the efforts made by the states by adding reading and math exams in previously untested grades as well as setting new performance standards. A survey conducted by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center found that at least 11 states set new achievement levels in reading/language arts. About nine states did so in…

For 21 years the Annual Condition of Education Report has helped the Iowa Department of Education meet its goal, providing valuable information on everything from enrollment to student performance, from the teachers to finances to the demographics. The data for this annual report are presented according to: (1) Background Demographics; (2)…

The "State ESEA ['Elementary and Secondary Education Act'] Title I Participation Summary Report for 2003-04" summarizes the participation data for the Title I, Part A (Title I), Grants to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) program. This program provides federal funds to assist eligible school districts and schools in supporting…

School choice programs, which allow students to attend the public or private school of their choice using public funds, have taken root in the U.S. and are growing rapidly both in number and size. Their fiscal impact has become an important political issue. Proponents say school choice saves money because private schooling is more efficient,…

Social science research suggests that reducing class size has its largest effects on the achievement of minority and inner-city children during the first year of formal schooling. Despite scholarly disagreements about the implications of specific studies on class size, economists generally agree that targeted class-size policies rest on stronger…

In the United States, government funding underwrites the cost of child care services for over 1.7 million children from income-eligible families. About one in four American children served by these subsidies is cared for in a setting where a state-issued license to operate is not required, but in many states the percentages are higher. In…