Reform activities initiated by states in response to the National Commission on Excellence in Education's report tend to fall into five categories; teacher preparation and professional development, teacher certification, curriculum, instruction, and financing. The state initiatives are reviewed in this article. (MT)

Results of a national survey on state postsecondary regulations concerning the use of competency or other tests required of college students in the course of their undergraduate programs as a check on academic standards, and the impetus for such a requirement, are reported. The policies of Georgia, Florida, and California are highlighted. (MSE)

Florida's new standards for college admission are outlined and support and criticism from the academic and general community are discussed. Among the issues are unevenness of pre-collegiate academic experience, increased barriers to minority group access and success, and the ability of the new standards to assure equivalent undergraduate…

Reports responses from 83 schools in a survey that covers the number of languages required and the means of satisfying those requirements. (CRH)

This article describes programs successfully combating drunk driving among teenagers in Maine, Virginia, and New York, discusses the nationwide movement called Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD), anti-drunk driving legislation, and the need for increased alcohol education, and provides information on how to emphasize student sobriety and safety…

This report details the graduation rates for the class of 2003 for Montana High Schools. Sections include: Montana High School Completion and Graduation Rate Overview, and Montana High School Completion and Graduation Rates, 2002-03 School Year.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Brown v. Board of Education school desegregation decision. Yet despite half a century of efforts to improve educational opportunities for African American students and other minorities, a large achievement gap persists. By 12th grade, the average African American and…

The purpose of this report is to help in the evolution of these systems by examining the measures used, including, but not limited to, tests. The author asks: Are these the best measures? Are they used right? Are there other measures that should be employed? It is the model of reform itself that is examined, and the report does not address…

The purpose of this analysis was to examine the persistence, graduation and transfer rates of full-time students who received an EAG (Educational Assistance Grant) or GAG (Guaranteed Access Grant) and matriculated during the 1996-1997 academic year. The performance of these students was examined on the basis of the number of years in which…

The purpose of this document, the first of a two-part report, is to examine doctoral education delivered at public universities and health-related institutions in Texas. The second part of the report, due in October, 2004, will provide recommendations for enhancing its effectiveness in closing the gaps in participation, success, excellence, and…

The typical high school has not changed significantly over the past 50 years. Faculty members are segregated into departments based on their subject, and students rush from one 50-minute class to another throughout the seven-hour day. Reform efforts, however, are growing both nationally and in California. Reformers say that high school students…

About a third of students entering high school do not graduate and face limited job prospects. The No Child Left Behind Act requires states to use graduation rates to measure how well students are educated. To assess the accuracy of states' rates and to review programs that may increase rates, GAO was asked to examine (1) the graduation rate…

Mandatory exit exams are in place, or will soon be, in 27 states. Students must pass them as one condition for receiving a standard diploma. Because the standard diploma is considered a property right, states must carefully consider the opportunities that students have to pass graduation exams. Federal legislation has resulted in increased…

This Statistics in Brief examines the status of high school athletes 8 years after their senior year in high school. Using a representative sample of 10th-graders in 1990, who were seniors in 1992, from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), this Brief provides information on the 1990-1992 high school athletes' educational,…