Traditional curricular materials and pedagogical strategies have not been effective in developing conceptual understanding of statistics topics and statistical reasoning abilities of students. Much of the changes proposed by statistics education research and the reform movement over the past decade have supported efforts to transform teaching…

Data suggests that a significant loss of African American students from STEM majors occur between their freshmen and sophomore year. This attrition corresponds to the time period when students encounter the calculus sequence. For this reason, calculus persists as a serious barrier preventing African American students from entering STEM fields.…

This paper presents information on student mobility for 2011. It offers data on the following: (1) Mobility Rates by Student Enrollment Status; (2) Mobile Student Enrollment at 2-/4-Year Institutions; and (3) Mobile Student Enrollment at Public/Private Institutions.

This issue of "Policy Insights" reviews the results from an annual survey, conducted by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), of tuition and fees at public colleges and universities in the WICHE region (which includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of orchestration on musicians' and nonmusicians' (N = 40) perception of musical tension. Participants were asked to register their perceptions of tension using the Continuous Response Digital Interface dial while listening to three orchestrations (full orchestra, brass quintet, and solo piano)…

The adult basic education field in the United States is now being encouraged to shift to a "career pathways" orientation by policy research organizations, federal and state agencies, community college organizations, business groups, and private foundations. In such an approach, adult basic education programs work with workforce…

Policymakers are becoming increasingly concerned about the high percentage of students who attend postsecondary education without completing a degree. Researchers have studied numerous potential determinants of retention behavior for postsecondary students, such as financial aid, socioeconomic status, academic preparedness, academic and social…

For the past several decades, factors leading to success in postsecondary education have been a target of investigation by psychologists and psychological and educational researchers. Tinto's integration theory (1975, 1987, 1993) is a dominant sociological perspective in studying college student success, especially student persistence. Academic…

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) is gathering information about the extent to which dual admissions agreements and programs between two- and four-year institutions have been developed in the Commonwealth. This is in response to the State Transfer Module legislation passed in 2004 requiring that two- and four-year…

The Texas Transfer Success Conference, held at eight sites across Texas in May 2009, drew more than 1,000 attendees from Texas and international colleges and universities. The purpose of the conference was to discuss strategies and principles for increasing the effectiveness of inter-institutional transfer for students. The conference was planned…

Numerous researchers have pointed to the potential benefits of providing students with a relevant historical context when introducing new mathematics concepts. This paper discusses the ways in which this approach may be applied to enhance student learning and attitudes in Singapore mathematics classrooms. While evidence on the efficacy of this…

To blame was a formula in the new GI Bill that provides funding equivalent to the highest-priced postsecondary undergraduate institution in the state. Because California's public schools have traditionally charged "fees" for services and not traditional tuition, many veterans attempting to attend California colleges were excluded from…

The Developmental Mathematics Program (DMP) at Texas State University-San Marcos in central Texas has undergone systemic, significant changes over the past ten years. These changes primarily resulted from the alignment to the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges' (AMATYC) Crossroads in Mathematics: Standards for Introductory…

Essential to tracking student success at community colleges is the availability of solid data and commonly defined metrics that go beyond measuring the traditional (and limited) enrollment and graduation rates that these colleges report to the federal government. In particular, what is needed are metrics that illuminate what happens to students…

At both a national and state level there is a growing need for skilled workers in the labor force. Educating low skilled adults is one way to address this need. Adult education programs teach low skilled adults basic academic skills to prepare them for work and life in U.S. society. Until recently little attention was paid to transitioning…