This anthology contains 20 commencement addresses delivered by prominent and successful Americans from many different fields of endeavor--all the addresses have in common an understanding of the audience's thoughts and feelings at the important moment of a college graduation. Each speech in the anthology is preceded by a brief biography of the…

This book describes a strategy for school reform, "planning backwards from exhibitions," which is a collective invention of the Coalition of Essential Schools. The strategy is based on the principle that graduation from high school should be based on genuine achievement. The first article, by Joseph P. McDonald, explains that the purpose of…

A major goal of state education reforms in the 1980s was to increase the number of courses students were required to complete for graduation. This document provides quantitative transcript data from high schools enrolling mostly lower achieving students in the 1980s. At 3 points in time, random samples of approximately 25 transcripts of graduating…

The paper addresses problems and strategies for evaluating mainstreamed students in vocational education classes. In addition to grading concerns, the area of graduation requirements is also considered. Alternatives to traditional methods of evaluation, including competencey based evaluation and adaptation of assessment techniques are described as…

In 1986 the State Board of Education of New Jersey approved more rigorous high school graduation requirements in academic subjects. Concern was expressed that requiring additional academic courses could crowd the daily schedules for many students and, in effect, impede their ability to take courses that meet other requirements, needs, and…

Data from 202 out of 311 surveyed school districts in Arkansas were collected to assess the congruence of course content guides, developed under administrative mandate by the school districts, with associated parental reporting forms. The guides outline skills associated with three instructional/skill levels--basic, developmental, and…

The report presents information on academic performance and other issues related to student athletes. It was written to aid the chairman of the Committee on Labor and Human Relations in preparation for a hearing on Senate Bill 580, the Student Athlete Right-to-Know Act. Specifically, the document examines: (1) the reporting burden the proposed…

Key elements of the master's level programs offering majors and/or minors in nursing administration and accredited by the National League for Nursing were assessed. The focus was admission and graduation stipulations and curriculum content. Courses were classified according to content and categorized as either administration, research,…

A guide for academic advisers is presented that includes anticipated student questions and important concerns to consider at each stage of student's progression through college. Resource materials that will help the adviser are listed for each topic. Publications and materials that the student should have are also indicated. Topics include the…

Designed to generate discussion among community college faculty and administrators in Illinois, this report provides an examination of the associate degree as it has evolved in Illinois public community colleges, along with recommended guidelines and alternatives for further development. First, the report reviews the current context of educational…

Curriculum standards for California's secondary school foreign language programs are outlined. An introductory section describes the instructional approach and objectives and the organization of the curriculum model. Subsequent sections on receptive language skills, productive language skills and culture describe the specific language functions,…

A study investigated the ways in which vocational education is related to high school graduation requirements in Minnesota and several other states (Ohio, Virginia, and Washington). A review of literature showed the historic development of high school graduation requirements, the role of vocational education in secondary schools today, and…

The Austin Independent School District (AISD) requires that all graduates have skills in reading and mathematics equivalent to a ninth-grade level or above (based on scores on the Texas Assessment of Basic Skills). Of the 3,152 high school graduates in 1983-84, the percentage who met AISD's minimum competency requirement was 91 percent in reading,…

This report provides information concerning academic performance and other issues related to student athletes in college. Proposed legislation would require postsecondary schools receiving federal assistance and offering athletic scholarships to report certain kinds of data annually, and the availability of such data is one of the topics discussed…

This document is intended to provide suggestions to the decision makers in Hawaii's public education system who are trying to find strategies for better integrating vocational and academic education and who are considering granting equivalent credit for basic academic skills taught in vocational and academic courses. The following topics are…