To eliminate some of the unfairness in graduation requirements for handicapped students, the author proposes a system in which secondary students would leave school when their goals were achieved. In doing away with the diploma, his approach would also mark the end of compulsory attendance, required classes, and competency testing. (CL)

High School and Beyond data were used to analyze how local violence affects high school graduation and college attendance. Moderate violence reduced the likelihood of graduation by 5.1 percentage points and college attendance by 6.9 points. More substantial violence raised the dropout rate by 27% and reduced college attendance by 15.9 points.…

Examined the relationship between sponsored research monies and the graduation of undergraduate students at 22 public universities. Found that, in contrast to a basic premise of most policymakers and academic managers, an institution's sponsored research expenditures are positively related to undergraduates' graduation. Also found that mean SAT…

Develops an inter-temporal optimization model linking academic achievement reputation, and the pool of student quality available to an institution. Describes empirical study of student-quality dynamics and its relation to the model. Finds that SAT levels of attracted students follow a convergent process as predicted, with graduation rates,…

Argues that business communication courses should be accepted for high school English graduation requirements. (SR)

As the staff and students of Littleton (Colorado) High School have found, talking about restructured educational programs is easier than implementing them. Participants redesigning graduation requirements encountered seven realities, namely the need for sacrifice, adequate funding, discussion time, outside perspectives, ways to dispel fear and…

National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data on 2,754 college attenders and 4,323 nonattenders were analyzed using probit models measuring four college quality categories as well as graduation decisions. Students of all ability levels had higher chances of graduating if the quality level of their college matched their skill level. (SK)

Analysis of data from NCAA Division I schools for male football and male and female basketball players shows that traditional labor market opportunities unrelated to sports are significant explanatory variables for athletes' academic persistence. Professional sports opportunities also have a significant impact on the graduation rate of athletes.…

This article is based on participant observation, review of documents such as curriculum materials, and interviews with participants associated with Spotted Eagle Alternative High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school was founded to combat the high dropout rate of American Indian students from mainstream secondary settings and offers a last…

With the birth of a child with a disability, parents experience loss, mourning, and chronic grief. They confront difficult questions about their unexpected child's future and their own. At transition times in the child's life, the parents' early feelings and questions resurface in a somewhat altered, but often intense, form. The author discusses…

This article addresses birth parents in the adoption triad by reviewing and integrating both the clinical and empirical literature from a number of professional disciplines with practice case studies. This review includes literature on the decision to relinquish one's child for adoption, the early postrelinquishment period, and the effects…

Although previous research has not consistently shown that uncertainty about academic major negatively impacts graduation, commitment is largely believed to affect college students' success. We investigated the impact of institutional commitment, commitment to an educational goal, and commitment to an academic major on the probabilities of…

This article describes in detail the Tian Yong v. University of Science and Technology, Beijing case. Plaintiff Tian Yong sued University of Science and Technology for refusing to issue him certificates of graduation and degree. Tian Yong believed that he had met all the criteria to be considered a legally qualified college graduate and that it is…

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) collects institution-level data from postsecondary institutions in the United States (50 states and the District of Columbia) and other jurisdictions, such as Puerto Rico. In 2005-2006, participation in IPEDS was a requirement for the 6,622 institutions and 83 administrative offices…

Extensive research has explored the graduation and retention rates of African American students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The performance of African American students in college and their performance at HBCUs were explored in the literature. Apparently, scholars have not been wiling to address the concerns of the…