This study sought to determine and examine the barriers to student enrollment in vocational education programs, especially as they related to ethnic minority, economically disadvantaged, limited English proficient, handicapped, migrant, and female students, as perceived by students, parents, and vocational advisory committee members in the Yakima…

A preliminary study investigated whether regular periods of sustained silent reading (SSR) would positively affect verified silent reading comprehension scores for eighth grade students. The hypothesis tested was that students allowed 15 minutes of recreational reading (reading self selected material for enjoyment) five times a week for three…

The Hispanic Policy Development Project (HPDP) and the National Coalition for Advocates for Students (NCAS) launched separate inquiries into how American public education could be improved without excluding poor, minority, female, and handicapped youngsters. HPDP reported on the performance of Hispanic students in inner-city high schools in…

This discussion of how the effectiveness of federal student aid can be evaluated is framed in terms of three questions: (1) Has federal student aid expanded educational opportunity; that is, has it encouraged the enrollment and broadened the educational choices of disadvantaged students? (2) Has federal student aid made the distribution of higher…

Hispanic-American dropouts are a population seriously at risk socially and economically in the United States. A recent study by the Hispanic Policy Development Project (HPDP), "Too Late to Patch: Reconsidering Second-Chance Opportunities for Hispanic and Other Dropouts," suggests a number of programs that can benefit the 1.8 million…

This document contains transcripts of oral and written testimony from witnesses at a hearing on National Youth Service. National Youth Service is a broad concept that will allow the youth of the United States to serve their country and communities through public service. Youth Service members could, after completing their service, receive…

Based on findings from the "High School and Beyond" (HS&B) national longitudinal study conducted in 1980, an agenda is suggested for decision making within schools that serve Hispanic children. This agenda is based on the needs and attitudes of the children and includes the following: (1) an emphasis on human relations of the school…

This paper is one in a series of research papers related to the state role in youth employment and training. It describes seven state-sponsored youth employment and training programs, representing a varied range of approaches that states have undertaken to address their youth employment problems. The first section of this paper provides capsule…

The accomplishments and impact of 10 Youth Advocacy Teacher Corps projects in 1978-79 are highlighted in this publication. Section 1 presents an overview of the Teacher Corps from 1965 to 1982 and reviews the development, since 1976, of the 10 Youth Advocacy Projects (YAP). The objectives of the projects (to promote effective educational responses…

Coordinated Vocational Academic Education (CVAE) is offered at three middle schools in the Fort Worth Independent School District, Texas. Courses in automobile mechanics, cosmetology, and home and community services are provided for potential dropout students who meet specific criteria: (1) low achievement; (2) inadequate communication skills;…

Using data from the Project Talent study of the high school class of 1961 and the National Longitudinal Study of the high school class of 1972 (NLS), current patterns of enrollment in post secondary education were compared with patterns of ten years ago. Differences in college entry rates were examined among groups defined by sex, ability, ethnic…

As part of a nine-volume, six-state study of the impact of school finance reform on minorities and the poor, the author examines the history and effects of finance reform in Florida. He chronicles Florida's school financing methods since 1947 and discusses the aid formula instituted under the state's 1973 reform law. Correlation coefficients,…

In this concluding volume of a nine-volume study of the impact of school finance reform on the poor and minorities, the author summarizes the project's methods, variables, findings, and conclusions about reform in the six states of California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, New Mexico, and Texas. He first discusses the two general approaches to…

This report describes and assesses seven school-based planning projects to raise student achievement levels in the New York City Public Schools. Based on the principles of organizational development, the projects are: 1) the Renewal Program, a planning partnership between several high schools and the Economic Development Council, a nonprofit…

These descriptive and evaluative reports examine fifteen program components implemented under the Disadvantaged Pupil Program Fund by the Cleveland, Ohio public school system beginning in 1966. The following programs are discussed: (1) classroom support program; (2) communication skills improvement project; (3) computer assisted instruction in…