A longitudinal research study was conducted at a public university in Pennsylvania on a sample of 129 at-risk students from a state-funded program (Act 101) designed to provide support services for economically and educationally disadvantaged students. This research employed a non-experimental, ex post facto methodology to assess the impact of…

Many education reporters are drawn to the beat because of its complexity and rich variety. Few topics provide such a wealth of political, business, human interest, breaking news, feature, and investigative stories. A reporter's day can start in a classroom with 4-year-olds struggling to learn to read, and end at a school board meeting with…

This document presents statistics about higher education in Maryland for 2013. The tables in this document are presented according to the following categories: (1) Students; (2) Retention and Graduation; (3) Degrees; (4) Faculty; (5) Revenues & Expenditures; (6) Tuition and Fees; (7) Financial Aid, (8) Private Career Schools, and (9) Distance…

This "Third Annual Report Card" looks at improvements in the cradle-to-career educational pipeline, the areas where Boston has made modest progress but still has a great deal of work to do, and the places where observers have failed to see the gains that are needed to ensure that Boston is a city of opportunity for all. This report card…

In the Salinas Union High School District, California, diplomas are presented to qualified students at the end of either the fall or the spring semester. Graduation requirements specify courses, number of semesters, proficiency (or remedial in lieu of substitution), and number of cumulative units. Therefore, at mid-year two bodies of seniors are…

A random sample of 500 Ocean County College students were surveyed by means of a mailed questionnaire to ascertain their opinions on whether the College should have a mandatory or voluntary commencement attendance policy. In addition, all New Jersey county colleges were surveyed to determine the prevailing practice with regard to institutional…

Achievement testing is the centerpiece of the state accountability systems mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Accordingly, the public attention directed towards achievement scores has largely eclipsed the crucial role that graduation rates play in NCLB accountability, at least until recently. As a new body of research on…

This study uses a widely respected method to calculate public high school graduation rates for the nation, for each state, and for the 100 largest school districts in the United States. Graduation rates are calculated overall, by race, and by gender, using the most recent available data (the class of 2003). While this report builds upon a…

Thirty-three universities were surveyed by the University of Arizona to see who was responsible for the process of evaluating students' remaining degree requirements, how much of this process was automated or computerized, and who in each institution responds to the Higher Education General Information Survey. Results are presented. (MSE)

Whether the dropout rate is a good measure of a quality education is debatable. One could probably make a case that a high dropout rate is just as credible an indicator of a quality education program as a low dropout rate. As with any high-stakes measure of performance, those being evaluated scramble, sometimes frantically, for strategies that…

Suggests that one of the biggest high school newspaper stories of the year is senior graduation and that it deserves better and more thorough coverage. (RB)

Discusses commencement ceremonies and the need to provide meaningful messages to graduates rather than a bland, congratulatory speech. (MD)

To counter student misbehavior and restore dignity to commencement exercises, this article details some basic guidelines concerning scheduling, student dress, and student behavior development at Hoffman Estates (Illinois) High School. Graduating students were assigned to teacher chaperones and were given specific behavior expectations. (MLH)