This study investigated the services provided to students' participating in career preparation programs (e.g., career counseling, mentoring, apprenticeships, work-based learning, or GED programs) provided by the Massachusetts One-Stop Career Centers. A study conducted by the President's Task Force for Disadvantaged Students (2003) found that…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 established a requirement that all states develop and submit to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) a performance plan designed to move the state from its current level of compliance with the statutory and regulatory requirements of the law and…

Over the last decade, policy and business leaders have come to know what parents have always known: teachers make the greatest difference to student achievement. With new statistical and analytical methods used by a wide range of researchers, evidence has been mounting that teacher quality can account for a large share of variance in student test…

This report provides national estimates on the availability of alternative schools and programs for students at risk of educational failure in public school districts during the 2007-08 school year. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) previously reported results from a similar survey of alternative schools and programs conducted…

The state of Connecticut detained 1,444 children and youth and committed approximately 270 to the Department of Children and Families for out of home placement in the 2007-2008 calendar year. A significant number of children and youth have special education needs that are often unidentified by home school districts. State and federal law mandate…

Opportunity gaps are not just a phenomenon that exists among low-achieving and average students; they are a significant feature among high-performing students as well. We present a review of research-based practices that support students of color such that they achieve at high levels in middle and secondary schools. We identify five key strategies…

This paper examines the methodological dilemmas associated with analytical framing as an aspect of the research process. Doing qualitative research potentially changes a researcher--changes their sense of self, who they think they are, who they want to become. The paper examines the ethical dilemma of what that change might mean--for the project,…

This article discusses the suggestions by staff at a placement center of ways in which placement centers might be more beneficial to students. (Author)

A placement service finds that nothing can beat a computerized student retrieval system, one that is tailored to their needs and several generations more advanced than their initial "Shoebox." (Author)

Findings are reported in the form of abstracts of the 201 research studies which met the criteria for selection. These were chosen from over 1,000 studies identified initially as a result of a comprehensive search of 600 journals and periodicals, as well as individual, organization and employer research, both published and unpublished. Abstracted…

This study examines (1) the mechanisms by which socioeconomic background affects curriculum placement, and (2) the effect of curriculum placement on senior high school achievement, goals, and behaviors. (Author/EB)

Describes a multiyear program in the Jacksonville (FL) schools that identifies high achieving students during elementary school and grooms them, through special advanced classes and summer programs, to work toward achieving high scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test in high school. The program has increased student achievement and the number of…

Community college placement officers should reorganize their roles so that they can help the colleges to interface with the business/industry community and to restructure instructional programs so that the career development needs of students can be more effectively met. (Author/JDS)

This study examined the progress member states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) are making toward leading the nation in enrollment and pass rates for Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. SREB states lead the country in the percentage of public schools that offer the AP program, 74%, compared with 65%…

What factors affect student success in AP courses? The College Board's Advanced Placement Program (AP) is widely recognized as the premier program for advanced placement and credit by examination. Originally established in 1955 as an opportunity for a few elite groups of students to take on college level work, the AP program has expanded to…