Every year at this time millions of Americans scramble to file or extend their income tax returns. This article explores some of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) sections that might affect (or relate to) the taxation of parents of disabled or special healthcare needs children. Many of these tax provisions also apply to parents with adult children…

Subsidies to higher education in the United States have long been guided by the belief that policy should encourage college attendance. In principle, if not always in practice, policy has for some time sought to accomplish this by addressing college affordability. General subsidies that keep tuition at public institutions low are coupled with…

This article examines the emergence of high school-to-college transition models, referred to as academic pathways, that regard community colleges as a primary partner for higher learning. It explores three academic pathways that deliberately partner secondary schools with community colleges. They are dual credit and dual enrollment, tech prep and…

This article discusses the democratic majority's move to put education policy on agenda. The leaders of the incoming Democratic-controlled Congress say they will make college affordability their top education policy priority, while also working to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act, a goal they share with President Bush. In this article, the…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue examines the differing developmental needs and enrollment and persistence patterns of Achieving the Dream students by gender, with a focus on male students of color. The data show females in Achieving the Dream colleges, regardless of race, were less likely than males to…

Developmental Education programs are designed to provide assistance to students who are academically under-prepared for college-level coursework. Previous issues of "Data Notes" compared the outcomes of developmental students completing all of their required developmental courses to those not requiring developmental education. Using data…

On April 24, 2008, President George W. Bush convened an array of education and community stakeholders in Washington, D.C. to address the quickening disappearance of faith-based schools in America's cities. The disappearance of these schools, which have played a fundamental role in the American story of religious freedom and tolerance, community…

Self-help groups (SHGs) have emerged as an effective mechanism of empowerment and development of women as well as being on efficient mode of promoting group action and technology dissemination. Initiatives were undertaken at the Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET), Ludhiana to facilitate the formation of women's…

Dual enrollment programs enable high school students to enroll in college courses and earn college credit. Once limited to high-achieving students, such programs are increasingly seen as a means to support the postsecondary preparation of average-achieving students and students in career and technical education (CTE) programs. This report seeks to…

The socioeconomic stratification of American society profoundly influences how the life course unfolds by shaping various developmental pathways as well as the connections among these pathways. Drawing on a nationally representative sample of American adolescents, this study charted trajectories of personal control and parental consultation from…

This volume is introduced by Sid Simon's discussion of the "Wad-Ja-Get?" syndrome--society's obsession with grades--and where it has led. Simon also explains each author's strong identification with the grading issue, and presents seven major questions that the authors, in the book, attempt to answer. His overview provides a perspective for…

The Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) launched in 2002 with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The ECHSI provides funds for the development of Early College Schools (ECSs) that serve students who traditionally are underrepresented in postsecondary education and offers them the opportunity to simultaneously pursue a high…

The way that funding allocations are made to colleges and departments at Appalachian State University (ASU) (North Carolina) was examined. Funding patterns related to full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment and faculty allocation units (FAU) were addressed. An account is provided on attempts to gather information on how funds are distributed to…

A credit-based qualifications system within the framework proposed in the Dearing "Review of Qualifications for 16-19 Year Olds" could enhance the United Kingdom (UK) qualification system in the 21st century. The United Kingdom currently has over 14,000 qualifications and more than 100 awarding bodies, which makes it difficult to compare…

Development of a common credit accumulation and transfer (CAT) system for the post-16 learner has been proposed in Great Britain. The rationale for this system is to increase the participation and achievement of learners over age 16, to improve access to learning opportunities, and to facilitate the development of core knowledge and skills. The…