The Supreme Court has decided to address the facts in "Lee v. Weisman" involving the validity of graduation prayer. Reviews the opinions of the current justices regarding the role of the tripartite establishment clause "Lemon" test and concludes with a projection of the court's resolution of the "Lee" case. (73…

The Supreme Court, in an upcoming case "Lee v. Weisman," will rule on whether prayer may be offered out loud at a public school graduation program. Argues that past court decisions have interpreted the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment over the Free Speech Clause of that same amendment. (57 references) (MLF)

Chinese education aims to teach students to be strong morally, intellectually, and physically. Those who excel are rewarded at each semester's end. Over three million candidates are eligible to take the college-entrance exam every year, but only 20% to 30% can be admitted to college. (13 references) (MLH)

Most states have only a 2-year foreign-language requirement for college-bound students. Two 1999 federal initiatives--the Foreign Language Education Improvement Amendments and the Educational Excellence for All Children Act--provide support for expanding foreign-language education opportunities. Four exemplary Georgia middle-school programs are…

To meet rigorous new graduation requirements, an upstate New York district rejected "packing" and pullout programs in favor of differentiation via individual learning-style instruction, Socratic seminars, performance-based assessment, tiered assignments, and academic intervention. Detracking forced staff to consider more inclusive…

Provides a chronological summary of the evolution of statewide achievement tests in Texas to facilitate understanding of the issues behind the "GI Forum v. Texas Education Agency" litigation (1999), which challenged the curricular links of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills and other "opportunity to learn" issues. (SLD)

A survey of 34 special education directors in large school districts that concerned how current education reforms are applied to children with disabilities examined academic content standards, assessments, and graduation and diplomas. Results indicate students with disabilities are differentially considered within specific reform policies and a…

The objective of the Goals 2000 Act to increase the high school graduation rate to at least 90% and to help reduce the graduation gap rate for minorities is doomed to failure. Models are presented that illustrate the theoretical limitations of policies aimed at this goal. (SLD)

Three retention and enrollment management experts share their most effective innovations and best practices that have achieved cost-effective results. Tables provide data on dropout rates, graduation rates, and results of a student satisfaction rating survey of four-year colleges and universities. (DB)

Purpose - This paper aims to compare the performance of building trades apprenticeship programs in the USA, sponsored jointly by employers and unions, with those sponsored unilaterally by employers. It reviews enrolment and graduation rates, including participation of women and minorities. The article also looks behind the numbers to examine the…

Student progression and retention is an area of increasing social importance and concern around student non-completion rates is expressed in many arenas. Research suggests many reasons for student non-completion, including the balancing of social and academic integration into university life. The increasing diversity of the student body…

We present a multiple spells-competing risks model of stopout, dropout, reenrollment, and graduation behavior. We find that students who experience an initial stopout are more likely to experience subsequent stopouts (occurrence dependence) and are less likely to graduate. We also find evidence of the impact of the length of an initial spell on…

In the past, students with learning disabilities who wished to attend university were unable to meet the entry requirements. With the progress of research in diagnosis, accommodation, and remediation of reading disabilities, many of these students are now able to attend and complete their academic and professional education. Yet in many cases the…

This is a study of 10 high schools that implemented Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) during the 1999-2000 academic year as a Comprehensive School Reform model. Student performance data were collected on 1,291 AVID students in these Texas schools. Researchers examined test scores, attendance rates, advanced course enrollment…

Students who are at risk of dropping out of school can be identified retrospectively as early as third grade on the basis of attendance patterns, academic performance, and behavior. Check & Connect is a model designed to promote student engagement, support regular attendance, and improve the likelihood of school completion. The program has been…