Compulsory province-wide grade 12 examinations, administered in Alberta since 1906, were dropped in 1973; teachers were given the responsibility of assigning final grades. To assess the quality of education since then, a 1976 survey examined: (1) current grade 12 evaluation policies and practices; (2) whether or not grading has changed in the past…

New minimum high school graduation standards were mandated for 1978-79 graduates, by Florida's Educational Accountability Act of 1976. Requirements included mastery of basic skills, completion of minimum course credits, and satisfactory performance on functional literacy tests. The literacy test was the primary criterion for graduation. On its…

A survey was conducted in Massachusetts in October-November 1978, to determine the public's attitude toward the educational objectives proposed as part of the state's Basic Skills Improvement Policy. The objectives involved standards for graduation from high school, and covered reading, writing, listening, speaking, and mathematics. Three samples…

An evolving educational alternative, The Free School, has undergone many changes since its inception in 1971, which has made evaluation difficult. The end of year report, therefore, is presented in a principally narrative form utilizing case histories and personal comments, although pertinent graphs and charts are included. Among the difficulties…

During 1972-74, three separate but interrelated statewide policies were enacted providing the legal basis for moving Oregon public schools and the postsecondary institutions preparing educational personnel for these schools to a competency-based orientation. These three policy areas dealt with 1) changes in the minimum requirements for graduation…

In order to meet the need for more educated workers in the state, the Governor's Commission on Higher Education and the Economy (CHEE) has set an ambitious goal of increasing college and university enrollment in Ohio by 30 percent or 180,000 students over the next decade (CHEE, 2004). This goal can arguably only be met if the state takes measures…

Students who fail to graduate high school prepared to attend a four-year college are much less likely to gain full access to our country's economic, political, and social opportunities. In this study, the authors estimate the percentage of students in the public high school class of 2001 who actually possess the minimum qualifications for applying…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) House Committee Approves $100 Million for Striving Readers: Smaller Learning Communities Cut by $72 Million; (2)…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Secretary Spellings Defends Bush Budget on Capitol Hill: Congress Expresses Concern over Education Cuts, Proposal to…

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. Breaking the inter-generational transmission of poverty requires far-reaching actions in the education sector. Widespread poverty affects both students' performance and their availability to attend…

This document contains data and characteristics of the Illinois public community college system and is designed to serve as a basic reference. No analysis of the data is intended in this document. The data are obtained from various surveys and studies conducted by Illinois Community College Board (ICCB). staff and from the colleges' annual MIS…

Twenty percent of California's public-school students attend schools in the Central Valley. Many of these students are at risk of poor educational outcomes: One-quarter of the children in grades K-5 do not speak English or do not speak it well; one-half of all K-12 students participate in a subsidized lunch program. This sourcebook provides a…

Although graduating from college may be viewed as a rite of passage for better social mobility in our society, first-generation students, whose parents never graduated from college, face unique challenges to achieve educational success in our country. The purpose of the proposed study is to investigate longitudinal educational attainments of…

This document contains an introduction to the Ohio Integrated Technical and Academic Competency (ITAC) and Specialization ITAC; an overview of the electrical trades; a list acknowledging professionals who helped develop the competency list; and the comprehensive list of professional or occupational competencies deemed essential for graduates to be…

Accommodating diverse learning styles of students has long been espoused as a principle of good practice in undergraduate education. Much progress has been made during the past two decades in using active, collaborative, and problem-based learning, learning communities, student-faculty research, service learning, internships, and other…