The economic benefits of a college education are well documented; however, data from studies of young people transitioning out of foster care indicate that the college graduation rate for this population is very low. The child welfare system has traditionally done a poor job of encouraging foster youth to pursue postsecondary education. Although…

Over the past decade, charter schools have been among the fastest-growing segments of the K-12 education sector in Chicago and across the country. This report addresses several key issues related to charter schools using student-level data provided by Chicago Public Schools. Students leaving traditional public schools for charter schools in…

The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by the year 2050, about 50 percent of the U.S. population will be African American, Hispanic, or Asian. These relatively youthful minority populations--Hispanics in particular--will drive demographic growth and diversification well into the twenty-first century. Nearly five million Latino students were enrolled…

This correlational study examined the relationship between principals' transformational leadership behaviors, as perceived by teachers, and student achievement on standardized tests. Participants in this study included teachers in two suburban high schools and six suburban elementary schools in Georgia. Research demonstrates a correlation between…

As technology advances continue to impact K-12 schools, online education options offer alternative choices for both teaching and learning. Library media specialists, long committed to providing physical and intellectual access to instructional materials, have responded to changing needs in this online world. They had previously created a virtual…

The North Carolina high school reform movement is focused on creating small, personalized and academically rigorous schools that increase graduation rates, reduce suspension and expulsion rates, increase college going rates and reduce college remediation rates. This report indicates that redesigned and early college high schools in North Carolina…

This book looks at the socialization process and persistence to graduation from the perspectives of black students at American universities today. The students' perceptions discussed include what it meant to them to have a pre-college experience, the importance of expectations, the pain caused by racism, and how they were able to find "safe…

In 1996, the Oregon University System (OUS) conducted the first systemwide survey of recent (1994-95) bachelor's degree recipients. Changes in Oregon's economy in the preceding decade led to concerns about the preparedness of college graduates as they entered the work force. The purpose of this study is to assess an OUS college experience from the…

Deliberately introducing change into an established English language program, in which faculty, students, and administrators are comfortable with courses and procedures, is unsettling and often costly. Why, then, would overworked program directors, coordinators, and faculty decide to overhaul their curricula, testing procedures, and academic…

When Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa revealed plans to take over the sprawling school district that serves his city, the charismatic Democrat had an abundance of political capital to push for the changes he believed necessary to raise student achievement and boost the dismal graduation rates that have dogged the city for years. Now, after a…

This article explores the association between school racial composition and students' expectations to graduate from a four-year college. In addition to the individual characteristics of students that have been repeatedly shown to influence educational goals, the results indicate that both school socioeconomic level and achievement composition are…

This article describes how universities are challenged to beef up study abroad programs in response to the growing need for professionals with a global perspective. Once considered a luxury for affluent White college students, study abroad has been recast in recent years by business, academia and policymakers. Today, they consider it essential to…

For more than a decade, educators and designers have been moving tentatively into uncharted waters. This article reports that administrators, faculty, and planners now recognize that learning spaces should be developed for reasons beyond utilization numbers. With declining retention and graduation rates, education institutions are acknowledging…

Contains the convocation addresses delivered by former Dartmouth College president John Sloan Dickey at the annual exercises opening the college, valedictories to the graduating classes, and selected honorary degree citations. In addition, his Dartmouth Night talk of 1945 and his 1969 Charter Day remarks are presented. (MSE)

The purpose of this study was to provide information concerning the academic performance of students who were permitted to continue on probation while hovering slightly below university requirements. The sample consisted of 212 academically dismissed students who were readmitted to the College of Education at Kent State University. The results…