This document is a quick look at general information about Alabama schools. The document contains 11 sections: (1) state statistics; (2) Alabama public schools; (3) Alabama board of education members; (4) financial data; (5) school size and enrollment; (6) transportation and school meals; (7) graduation requirements; (8) additional enrollment;…

Does student aid increase college attendance or simply subsidize costs for infra-marginal students? Settling the question empirically is a challenge, because aid is correlated with many characteristics that influence educational investment decisions. A shift in financial aid policy that affects some youth but not others can provide an identifying…

This description of a computerized graduation verification system developed and implemented at the University of South Carolina at Columbia discusses the "table-driven" feature of the programs and details the implementation of the system, including examples of the Extended Backus Naur Form (EBNF) notation used to represent the system…

A variety of strategies for surviving in professional and personal worlds are described. The recommendation is to be aware of self and others as well as dynamics of interpersonal situations. Valuing oneself and reasonably evaluating and modifying professional and personal behavior helps ensure productivity and success. (Author)

This study explored predictors of graduating from versus dropping out of high school for 664 youths with severe emotional disturbances. Results indicate that almost 50% of the sample dropped out of high school. Participation in school-based counseling and vocational education was significantly associated with high school graduation. (Author/CR)

Maryland is the first state to require every student to perform service as a condition of receiving a high school diploma. In Baltimore, once electives became mandatory, a new coordinator for service learning was appointed, a service-learning program--the Baltimore Alliance for Student Service--was established, and a revised five-year…

Examines the paradox of strong individual demand and strong institutional support for the General Educational Development (GED) credential despite educational and economic returns markedly lower than those of traditional high school graduates, suggesting that the GED program is a low-cost way to integrate thousands of off-track individuals back…

Describes the pitfalls that schools may encounter in requiring community service for high school graduation. In planning service-learning programs, schools should ask "In service of what?" Schools should first define their ideological, political, and social goals; provide teacher training, and incorporate the program into the curriculum. (LMI)

Shows that in the German educational system, boys are at a disadvantage with girls. Explains that boys often leave secondary school without a final degree. Concludes that the smaller the proportion of male elementary teachers and the higher the rate of unemployment, the lower the achievement of boys in secondary schools. (CAJ)

Analyzes school enrollment and graduation rates in China using the 1990 Chinese Census. Finds that location of residence and sex are highly correlated with enrollment and graduation, with rural girls being especially disadvantaged in terms of both enrollment and graduation rates. Other factors such as parental education have consistent effects on…

Discussion of the effect of minimum competency tests for graduation notes both positive (such as greater access to the general curriculum) and negative (such as increased referrals to special education) to improve a school's overall scores. Continually changing special education procedures are seen, however, to have led to a decline in teachers…

Presents a tracking model for monitoring and reporting student transitions through the college years. Develops and illustrates the model by following a mythical class of 500 freshmen and 380 transfer students from matriculation to attrition or graduation. The model focuses on sequences of semesters rather than on freshman, sophomore, junior, and…

According to Thomas Toch's new book, "In the Name of Excellence" (1991), the curriculum reforms of the late 1980s are being undercut by teachers' inadequate subject knowledge and unimaginative pedagogical techniques, union impediments to professionalizing teaching, and severely flawed standardized testing programs. (MLH)

Three limitations in the undergraduate degree are identified, and an approach to course selection compensating for them is proposed. The strategy emphasizes that each course should provide multiple functions in meeting degree requirements and fulfilling educational objectives. A checklist for making coherent curricular choices is included. (MSE)