"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) Time to "Learn": Comprehensive Literacy Bill Introduced in Congress; (2) "Teaching for a New…

Some reserve and National Guard personnel are enrolled in college. Much like those who choose not to attend college, reservists and Guard members who are students are challenged by issues of separation from family and employment. However, members of the reserves and National Guard who are college students must also separate from their educational…

Military history faces a dire fate. Fewer and fewer colleges and universities today regard the historical study of military institutions and practices a worthy social, and therefore scholarly, charge. John Lynn enters this debate, examining the state of military history, which he defines in terms of three genres: popular, applied, and academic.…

Several researchers have suggested that the persistently higher rate of divorce among Blacks may be due to hard-to-measure concepts such as culture or norms. To attack this problem, we use data from the NLSY-79 to examine the risk of divorce among enlisted active-duty military servicemen where economic differences and the negative effects of…

In this article life history data from the U.S. National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), and the Dutch survey on Older Adults' Living Arrangements and Social Networks (NESTOR-LSN) are used to shed light on the various pathways leading to and associated with childlessness, and the proportions of men and women who have followed a…

The interactive effects of Air Force occupational specialty and personnel characteristics on predictions of tenure for first-term enlisted airmen were studied. Historical data files were compiled on 280,039 Air Force enlistees. Two classes of variables were extracted for the sample: personnel characteristics including age, sex, race, educational…

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact which military service has on the adolescent male in order to help him plan his future. (Author)

Higher education and the military have much in common: both are vitally concerned with youth and in preparing young people for effective functioning in society. The army is heavily involved in education and training; in addition to West Point, there is an Army school system which consists of 2 colleges, 20 branch schools, and 11 specialist…

The study characterizes the 1971 enlistees by relating their education, race, age, and test performance to their perceived draft vulnerability as high, moderate, or low draft pressure, or not eligible for the draft, and comparing them to the 1970 accessions. It was found that the 1971 accessions demonstrated less aptitude and were less…

The purpose of the study is to broaden the enlisted recruiting market, especially for high school graduates and describe measures to complete or expedite actions initiated by ASD (M and RA) (Assistant Secretary of Defense Manpower and Reserve Affairs) and the military services and to take additional actions to enhance recruiting. (Author)

The American Council on Education in its role as a spokesman for higher education is discussed. (DB)

Describes three military occupations that are also found in civilian life and the training programs for them, discusses enlistment options and military commitments in general, and sketches some educational programs available in the military. (JOW)

Criticizes Michael Useem's argument that compulsory military service in the U.S. should not be reinstated because of the social inequities it fosters. Discusses social and economic pros and cons of the draft and voluntary military service. (GC)