"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) School-Based Coaching: A Revolution in Professional Development--or Just the Latest Fad? (Alexander Russo); (2) Fluency Tests Help Identify Struggling…

How to identify and measure educational quality pervades American education. The Higher Education Research Institute and the Council on Learning launched a study to identify broad quality indicators, particularly at the undergraduate level. Peer groups and indices of selectivity are among the facets used to measure quality of education. (MLW)

Identifies trends from the preceding articles in this volume. Discusses the historical development of transfer programs, the role of the state in their development, the selection of a transfer rate as a form of program assessment, and the impact of changing student populations on programs. (17 citations) (AJL)

Six essays submitted to Harvard University (Massachusetts) by applicants for the class of 2000 are presented. Topics include a refugee's experiences, a football player's passion for musical theater, the death of a sister, a mother's influence, living in China, and a renaissance-English poetic lament about being a dog. (MSE)

Presents several entries from three months of journal entries that were written during a college internship in the counseling office of an upper-class suburban public school. Touches on a variety of high school issues including decile rankings, college admissions, family problems, and emotional problems. (FC)

New data are presented on the academic preparation of college-bound students by discipline area and ethnic group, average college entrance examination scores (Scholastic Assessment Test--SAT and American College Testing--ACT) by gender and ethnic group, proportion of test takers and ethnic groups, and advanced placement candidates by gender and…

A shortage of American engineering graduate students, particularly minorities and women, has resulted in the increasing award of research and graduate assistantships to foreign students. The National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering (GEM) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are offering financial encouragement…

Thirty-four gifted students from economically disadvantaged high schools who attended a college/career counseling program were compared to 16 gifted economically advantaged students who attended a private university summer program. Groups were similar in their motivation to attend college and career readiness. At three-year follow-up, more…

Reviewing evidence from high school completion and dropout rates, college attendance, test scores, and international comparisons leads to the conclusion that U.S. schools do a pretty good job of teaching students who are ready to learn. Given what schools have to contend with, their performance is indeed impressive. (SLD)

Discusses community college efforts to assess student needs, increase persistence, and enhance transfer education, offering recommendation on the provision of guidance and counseling, opportunities for faculty-student interaction, and orientation programs. Questions current definitions of transfer effectiveness. Asserts that students themselves…

Quality indicators of secondary schools were defined through ratings made by 754 school district superintendents in Texas. The top five indicators identified were attendance statistics; student attitude information; dropout rates; college placement; and computer literacy. Standardized testing criteria did not rate highly. (SLD)

Noncollege-bound students (the "forgotten 42%") are more likely to be low-wage employees or unemployed. Minority-group employment outcomes are bleak, and poverty data, particularly for dropouts, are even more discouraging. Access to higher education has improved, despite higher tuition costs, but persistence toward degrees has not. (MLH)

A survey of 285 high school seniors in six rural Pennsylvania schools found that student plans to attend postsecondary education were strongly influenced by parents' educational attainment and somewhat influenced by sibling educational attainment. Family financial situation was not a factor in student choice of postsecondary educational options.…

Interinstitutional collaboration can help educators in local communities identify and respond to the unique challenges they face. Student support services at high schools and community colleges can work together to design programs (e.g. new student orientations, counselor-to-counselor activities, staff development) to assist students in their…

A qualitative study of attitudes of African American high school students on the economic aspects of the decision to attend or not attend college concluded that these students factored in both the expected costs and any future earnings, recognizing both the job market limitations faced by African Americans and their personal desires for wealth.…