Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Schools, researchers examined the relationship between three state policies (graduation requirements, test score dissemination, and site-based management) and changes in school practices between 1980-93. Results indicate that state policies influenced school practices in policy specific domains,…

A comparison of 46 college students with learning disabilities (LD) who received permission to waive a foreign language (FL) requirement with 21 students with LD who fulfilled the requirement found that more students who had petitioned had a 1.0 standard deviation discrepancy between IQ and achievement and were referred only for FL learning…

While Canadians tend to consider the American system to be overly litigious, they are catching up fast. Their own domestic set of plaintiffs is suing the agents of obesity and pollution, but actions pertaining to education seem to be spiking as well. A few of these cases are trivial. This morning's local newspaper reports that a judge has ruled…

A new study on the link between high school coursework and postsecondary success paints a challenging picture for education advocates: African Americans can succeed in rigorous courses, but too few get the opportunity. The report from Achieve Inc., finds that few states set high curricula and content standards that prepare students for college.…

Opinions of foreign language study, as well as attitudes toward specific cultures and languages, influence student motivation and success. The purpose of the present study is to catalogue and report the perceptions and attitudes of recent incoming college students (freshman and transfer students) concerning foreign or second language (L2) study…

To give states the information they need to sustain hard-fought education reform effectively, Achieve conducted research on state education reforms that have been sustained successfully for over a decade or more. Funded by the GE Foundation, Achieve hopes this work will help other state leaders, wherever they may be on their road to reform,…

This 2009 Annual Joint Report of the State Board of Education and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission identifies four joint priorities and nine associated goals addressing areas of need in both student learning and educator development for the advancement of education in Tennessee. The joint priorities and initiatives focus on points of…

This paper examines the results of a national study on the current status of state graduation policies and diploma options for youth with disabilities. It examines state policies in relation to their intended benefits as well as possible unintended consequences, and compared the findings with a similar study conducted by Johnson and Thurlow in…

The link between strong academic preparation in high school and success in college and careers is clearer than it has ever been. Recognizing that the standards students have to meet in the "real world" have become more demanding, governors and policymakers in a growing number of states are taking action to increase the requirements for earning a…

In response to public demands for better-quality high school graduates and to requirements of No Child Left Behind legislation, states have developed a variety of policies such as high-stakes exit exams and diploma options. Additionally, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997, students with disabilities must be…

Limited classroom time available in middle school mathematics classes forces teachers to choose between assisting students' development and assessing students' abilities. To help teachers make better use of their time, we are integrating assistance and assessment by utilizing a web-based system, ASSISTment, that will offer instruction to students…

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)…

A common way to control curriculum at the state level has been to implement changes in high school graduation requirements. This paper documents the variation in responses across five diverse high schools in Maryland, as the schools implemented new high school graduation requirements mandated by the State Board of Education. In 1985, the board…

More than a decade ago, states in the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) region began raising high school graduation standards to ensure that all students would take the classes they need. Despite improvements, results have not met expectations. Today many more students in the SREB states are taking courses that appear to be more…

The Arabic language examination was designed for Jewish immigrants from Syria wishing to satisfy New York State language requirements for high school graduation by indicating their proficiency in Arabic. The test is essentially a translation of a state test of Hebrew, and is intended to test Arabic at the third-year high school level. The…