Do you wish you could leverage the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) to equip all students--not just high achievers--with the higher-level thinking skills they need? You can, and this book will show you how. The authors helped lead their district--Rockville Centre in Long Island, New York--in closing achievement gaps and increasing the number of…

Sokolowski (2000) summarized the phenomenological attitude by saying, "We look at what we normally look through" (p. 50). Through interviews and document analysis, this study looked at the lives of six students and their decision to return to their education to earn a high school diploma. The purpose of this study was to illuminate how…

This study examines the messages and accuracy of the messages sent to students from the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) math test regarding academic preparedness for postsecondary education. Previous studies investigating messages sent to students, derived from information such as educational standards, grades, course taking…

Curriculum reform is a topic seen in research for decades, and nursing education has not been excluded in this call for reform (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2009; Diekelmann, Ironside, & Gunn, 2005; Dracup, 2011). The issue in nursing education relates to the lack of guidance in how to proceed with this radical change process (Benner,…

As a brief review of retention and graduation rate policy, in 2006 the Board of Governors revised Code Section 400.1.5 on "Improving Retention and Graduation Rates" and asked each campus to establish, in consultation with the University of North Carolina General Administration (UNC-GA), goals for increasing retention and graduation rates…

"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) Let's Get Digital: First-Ever National Digital Learning Day Attracts Participation from Thirty-Nine States, 19,000…

The September 2011 report, "Teaching the Movement: The State of Civil Rights Education in the United States 2011," was prompted by the news that American high school seniors knew little about the civil rights movement. Knowing that low expectations often contribute to poor student achievement, the report took a close look at the content…

This document contains 3 statistical reports. The first report, "Attrition Rate Decline Seems Promising--Though High Schools are Still Losing One in Four Students" (by Roy L. Johnson), presents results of long-term trend assessments of attrition data in Texas public high schools. The second report, "Slow Declining Pace Keeps Zero…

The Federal government is seeking to increase the proportion of Australians with bachelor degrees and to increase the proportion of low SES students in higher education. This will focus attention on degree completion rates for all students, including non-traditional students who have previously been reported as having lower higher education…

The Tennessee Technology Center system has become something of a darling among college-completion advocates. Comprising 27 locations across the state, the system boasts graduation and job-placement rates that many colleges only dream of: 75 percent and 83 percent, respectively. Such achievements are even more noteworthy given the population the…

To nudge students to study English and to improve their English proficiency, many universities in Taiwan have imposed an English graduation benchmark on their students. This article reviews this policy, using the theoretic framework for education policy analysis proposed by Haddad and Demsky (1995). The author presents relevant research findings,…

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects between 2 and 8 % of college students. ADHD is associated with impaired academic, psychological, and social functioning, and with a wide array of negative outcomes including lower GPAs, graduation rates, and self-reported quality of life. The college environment often brings decreased…

Latino students attend 2-year colleges more often than 4-year colleges. This has an impact on the rate of bachelor's degree attainment, because the transfer rate between the 2 levels is low. The author uses national data to identify predictors associated with college-level choice and then uses social-cognitive career theory (Lent, Brown, &…

Community colleges are dealing with, and often leading, a historical shift from a 100-year focus on access to a new emphasis on access "and" student success. The impetus for this work comes from many directions--the president of the United States and the secretary of education, at least 30 governors, other state policymakers, the…

Soldiers are returning from war to college. The number of veterans enrolled nationally is hard to find. Data from the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics identify nearly 924,000 veterans as "total education program beneficiaries" for 2011. These statistics combine many categories, including dependents and survivors. The…