Development of self-esteem tends to become stable in middle adolescence for mainstream groups, but relatively little is known about self-esteem development of individuals in groups undergoing cultural adaptation, such as Spanish-speaking adolescents. The idea that immigrant students (voluntary minorities) are alike in many psychological and social…

This report presents findings from the Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study, a 5-year, ongoing longitudinal study examining the effects of child care in 4 states. The report focuses on the emergence of the quality of children's early relationships with their teachers in childcare as an important predictor of their social relations with peers as they…

This study compared levels of achievement of three groups of Houston (Texas) police academy cadets: those with no military service but with 60 or more college credit hours, those with military service and 0 hours of college credit, and those with military service and 1 to 59 hours of college credit. Prior to 1991, police cadets in Houston were…

This study examined factors associated with Hispanic students' high dropout rates, considering not only demographic factors but also the role of family background, early school experiences, and social influences in the high Hispanic student dropout rate. Data came from students in the High School and Beyond (HS&B) longitudinal study of the…

Using data from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study that included more than 11,000 students (ages 6-12), this study explored the primary disability classification assigned to students by their schools, the variety of disabilities that parents reported, functional limitations associated with students' disabilities, disability…

Noting that one of the biggest obstacles to reforming the foster care system has been the relative unavailability of research data from the field, this book provides an overview of the current state of foster care, describes the special needs of children living in foster care, and identifies policies and practices that address the foster care…

This study compared college students' responses on their evaluations of the effectiveness of full- and part-time college faculty. A group of 1,101 students completed evaluation instruments for all courses taught by full-time faculty, and 2,067 students completed evaluations for all courses taught by part-time faculty in spring 1998. In fall 1998,…

This paper considers the social and structural determinants of adult participation in education and training. Section 1 deals with 11 lifetime learning trajectories identified from a systematic stratified sample of 1,104 education and training histories collected from respondents aged 15-65 in industrial South Wales. For the purposes of the paper,…

A modified Delphi technique was used to identify the key factors that lead individuals to enter technology education doctoral programs focusing on teacher education. Two Delphi panels were established. The first consisted of 15 recent doctoral graduates with technology education degrees focusing on teacher education. The second panel consisted of…

With over half the nation's infants and toddlers in regular, non-parental child care, the quality of that care is a priority concern for policymakers. Many studies show that high-quality child care supports the positive social, emotional, and cognitive development of young children. The research summarized in this policy brief identifies factors…

Score linkages between the Verbal and Math sections of the SAT® I: Reasoning Test and the corresponding sections of the new version of a Spanish-language admissions test, the Prueba de Aptitud Academica® (PAA™) were investigated. A bilingual group design was employed. A language proficiency measure (ESLAT) was used to define the bilingual group…

A study of limited-English-speaking Vietnamese children (K-12) showed that the best predictors of reading performance were grade, Vietnamese language background, amount of English spoken at home, higher level paternal occupation, and ESL class participation. Predictors not found significant included gender, siblings, television viewing, library…

Using a theoretical model which examines three essential features thought to influence student attitudes (teacher, students, learning environment), the relationship between these features at three grade levels (4th--N=649, 7th--N=630, 9th--N=686) was investigated. Correlational/regression analyses, conclusions, and implications are reported.…

Results from meta-analysis of studies on student attitudes toward science are discussed. Includes description of meta-analysis techniques, discussion of attitudes toward science (with a proposed definition), a theoretical framework for studying attitudes which provides a structure for synthesis studies, and recommendations, including those related…

A model is presented in which variables affecting achievement were grouped as: (1) school or school district conditions; (2) within school conditions; (3) teacher characteristics; (4) teaching style; (5) student characteristics; (6) student behavior; and (7) student learning outcomes. (Author/CP)