Examines background characteristics and personal attributes as decision factors for youth migrating to or from or remaining in rural areas. Explores relationship of migration decisions to early adult social and economic attainment. Shows migration related to both sets of variables. Suggests considering local opportunity structure in labor…

Demonstrates why terms like "tribe" cannot be transferred from ethnographic descriptions to political history. Critiques her work with Central African tribes, comparing African and American Indian societies to show that what looks like a tribal entity is usually a political polity with its own history of growth and decline. (LFL)

Surveys 383 rural/urban/suburban school psychologists to evaluate influence of child's background, school setting, and psychologist's work setting on educational expectations for hypothetical case study child. Finds expectations not influenced by student's background or school setting. However, rural psychologists have higher academic/vocational…

Discusses the discipline problems that arose when several Southeast Asian students attended a middle school in Minnesota. Describes how these problems were transformed into a human rights learning experience for the students. (SRT)

Describes a study investigating how adult students attending the two-year University of Wisconsin Centers compared to younger students in terms of their characteristics, goals, academic performance, where they went to college or the barriers to going on, educational plans, and evaluation of the Centers. (AYC)

Describes development of a comprehensive computer literacy assessment battery for K-12 curriculum based on objectives of a curriculum implemented in the Worldwide Department of Defense Dependents Schools system. Test development and field test data are discussed and a correlational analysis which assists in interpretation of test results is…

Presents the results of a study in which 33 remedial reading students (grades one through eight), their classroom teachers, their reading teachers, and a supervisor were interviewed. Results indicate a lack of coordination between classroom and reading teachers and a failure on the part of students to perceive task relevant goals. (CB)

Study examines whether male and female teachers differ in (1) their background or training for instructional uses of microcomputers and (2) their uses of microcomputers to teach mathematics and science. Data are given on district and school microcomputer policies, classroom contexts, and teacher characteristics, instructional decisions, and…

This metaanalysis of 32 comparative studies shows that computer-based education has generally had positive effects on the achievement of elementary school pupils. However, these effects are different for off-line computer managed instruction and interactive computer assisted instruction (CAI); interactive CAI produces greater increases in student…

Addressing the underlying tension that generally exists between school-level autonomy and systemwide uniformity, the author's nine commandments include recognizing the school as the key organizational unit in public education, selecting and nurturing first-rate principals, and granting more budgetary authority to the school level. (JBM)

Legislation requiring multicultural education for teacher preparation programs could help dispel misconceptions about the homogeneity of rural American (all redneck farmers/ranchers, no poverty). Using field experiences in rural areas/schools for beginning teachers to observe cultural pluralism may have serendipitous effects of promoting positive…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue of "Data Notes" looks at the relationship between institutional size differences at Achieving the Dream colleges. Nearly half of Achieving the Dream colleges are classified as small, but these colleges account for only 11 percent of students in the fall 2002 cohort. Only 29…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue examines the percentages and numbers of students who attempted and completed both developmental and college-level math. The analysis reveals that a large portion of students either do not attempt or do not complete developmental math coursework. Furthermore, the data show…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this Data Note's issue examines developmental math referrals, attempts and completions from the 2002 Achieving the Dream student cohort over two academic years, fall 2002 through spring 2004. Although approximately half of the students who were referred to developmental math completed…

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) Beyond Auto Shop 1: Is Career and Technical Education a Promising Path for High School Reform? (Lucy Hood); (2) The School Readiness Gap:…