This study examined the following research hypotheses for fifth graders taking the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) tests in the El Paso (Texas) Independent School District in 1990-91: (1) ethnicity is positively predictive of TAAS status; (2) socioeconomic status (SES) is positively predictive of TAAS status; (3) gender is positively…

Recent trends in writing skill assessment suggest a movement toward the use of free-response writing tasks and away from the traditional multiple-choice test. A number of national examinations, including major college admissions tests, have included free-response components. Most of the arguments in support of this trend relate to the hypothesized…

Every year the National Center for Education Statistics publishes this pocket summary of the annual "Projections of Education Statistics." The complete report contains information on projected enrollment at all ages, numbers of high school graduates, degrees conferred, classroom teachers, and public elementary and secondary school…

A longitudinal study evaluated whether early remediation affected the persistence and/or performance of underprepared students at a midwestern, suburban community college. The study focused on the 3,282 students who completed the basic skills inventory in either Fall 1991 or Fall 1992. Students were classified as either prepared (N=2,028) or…

The annual dropout and migration statistics report of the District of Columbia public schools reflects the guidelines, definitions, and tracking procedures of the District schools. School year 1992-93 was the fourth year of implementation of this project in the D.C. public schools. In school year 1992-93 the total number of dropouts was 2,499,…

The annual dropout and migration statistics report of the District of Columbia public schools reflects the guidelines, definitions, and tracking procedures of the District schools. School year 1991-92 was the third year of implementation of the present dropout-accounting system. The report contains dropout and migration statistics for student…

Recent studies have found substantial reductions in gender differences in the prediction of academic achievement in colleges when variations in grading standards among courses were taken into account. This project examined gender differences in the prediction of freshman grades after controlling for differential course grading based on college…

The University of Louisville (Kentucky) adopted a policy of using American College Test (ACT) scores and high school grades as admission criteria, while allowing students who did not qualify an opportunity to demonstrate their actual level of preparation through additional testing and an interview. This study of 508 minimum admission applicants…

Cognitive science research offers hope for the development of innovative science teaching strategies that facilitate the development of optimally interconnected procedural and declarative knowledge networks. Improving students' neural networks should improve their abilities to think critically, reason logically, learn more efficiently, and solve…

A study investigated the use of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) subtests and combinations of subtest composites as placement qualifiers for the Aviation Electrician's Mate AEA(A1) school. It examined the relationship of the independent variables Arithmetic Reasoning; Math Knowledge; General Science; and Composite ASVAB score…

Since an author does not provide all critical information, a text is never fully explicit; it demands that the reader/listener supply missing elements in order to form a coherent and logical whole. A study was conducted to explore both the types of responses urban first grade students made when asked to predict a narrative ending and differences…

The development and implementation of a planning and institutional research subsystem by Grambling State University (GSU) are described. Three components of the subsystem are as follows: the Grambling Institutional Data System (GRIDS), simulation and forecasting models, and the management reporting system. The way that GSU has improved the…

Developed for the United Way of America by a volunteer group of top experts from corporations, foundations, consulting firms, and government, this report predicts trends in the economy, the society, the world, and the environment for the next 10 or more years. The report depicts the most likely scenario to come in the years ahead. The future is…

Designed for teachers of students in grades 5-12, the guide provides over 25 lesson plans and 45 student handouts for teaching units on conflict, nuclear war, and future studies. In the first unit, students define conflict, learn conflict-related vocabulary, illustrate knowledge of conflict types through the use of cartoons, recognize common…

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a seminar on planning and policy analysis is offered for doctoral students who wish to conduct planning and forecasting studies for their doctoral dissertations or who simply wish to learn such techniques. One of the major projects of the seminar is the development of an environmental scanning…