This paper reports on a continuing study of Australian Aboriginal and Navajo Indian children. The study investigates the relevance and applicability of goal theory to explaining indigenous minority motivation in school settings. Task, ego social solidarity, and extrinsic goal structures were examined as a means of explaining and predicting…

This study examined the predictive factors of demand for degrees and academic performance at the University of the Basque Country (Spain). The study followed two cohorts of university students from secondary education to the completion of the third year of higher education. The data analyzed included secondary school qualifications, selectivity…

The future of endangered languages is discussed, drawing on experiences in development of an atlas of language. Issues in the debate over language maintenance are examined, including the emotion-laden concept of ethnicity and relative youth of the concepts of human rights and linguistic geography. The fact that the atlas in question indicates only…

Differential predictors of the educational achievement status of homeless children were studied using multivariate statistical modeling. The effects of more general influences such as age, gender, and maternal educational level were studied before the influence of intellectual, behavioral, and emotional factors was examined. Participants were…

This report illustrates the use of hierarchical linear models (HLM) with National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data to identify school and other correlates of student achievement. Based on an analysis of the 1990 NAEP mathematics achievement data for 4th, 8th, and 12th graders in public schools, this study is part of an ongoing…

In an effort to determine the validity of placement tests used at Rancho Santiago College (Santa Ana, California), for placing students into mathematics courses, a study was conducted comparing the course performance of students who met test cut-off scores ("eligible" to take the course) with students who did not meet the cut-off scores…

Psychologists, diagnosticians, and educators are often required to assess a child's functioning to assist in placing the child in the most appropriate educational setting. To assess the child's current level of functioning, various behavior rating scales have been designed to integrate both teacher and parent observations in this assessment…

A study was designed in which a battery of 11 selected instruments was given to 320 professional students (four classes) at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine to measure a variety of parameters of brain function and cognitive ability. Results were to be used to develop ability or competency profiles, to compare scores, to…

Two studies evaluated a technique for combining perceptions family members have of their families into measures of the family as a unit. Study 1 tested the reliability of an individually administered measure of family support and affiliation created to serve as a basis for aggregated family indices. Two existing family-assessment methods were…

This study examined the separate and joint use of high school course grades, course work taken, and American College Testing Program (ACT) Assessment subject area scores for making course placement decisions. The data for this study were obtained from nine institutions through their participation in a pilot study of the ACT Course Placement…

This study investigated the relationship between measured intelligence and discrepancies existing between actual achievement levels and projected achievement levels in mildly handicapped resource room students in Arkansas. Twenty-seven students had been identified as learning disabled and 19 as mildly mentally retarded. Subjects each received…

This document contains an edited transcript of a forum held as part of a research project called Thinkahead, which was designed to serve as a catalyst for developing educational models that will prepare people to think more critically and creatively in the world of the future. The forum participants, all business people concerned about the ways in…

The Second Annual Federal Forecasters Conference, "Forecasting and Public Policy", provided a forum where forecasters from various Federal agencies could meet and discuss aspects of forecasting in the U.S. Government. A total of 140 forecasters from 42 Federal agencies and other organizations attended the conference. Opening remarks by…

Research provided information about the magnitude of an individual's enlistment probability and how that probability depends on his personal characteristics, family background, employment situation, and expectations for further education. Analysis focused on male high school seniors and high school graduates. Findings suggested that each segment…

A number of new legislative mandates placed on Texas public schools has had the effect of requiring extensive school facility construction and alterations. The Interim Committee, established by the Texas Senate, enlisted the services of the Center for Policy Studies and Research in Elementary and Secondary Education at East Texas State University…