The first volume of this report examines the existing measures of high school completion and the newly proposed proxy measures. This includes a description of the computational formulas, the data required for each indicator, the assumptions underlying each formula, the strengths and weaknesses of each indicator relative to a true cohort on-time…

This paper addresses the debate over high school graduation rates, examining how the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) has redirected attention toward graduation rates. It introduces provisions of the NCLB pertaining to high school graduation, discussing implications from a measurement perspective, and presents strategies for developing a…

This paper outlines ideas and strategies to engage alienated and disaffected young people and help them acquire skills, gain work experience, and improve their lives. Based on lessons learned from three decades of demonstrations and evaluations concerning at-risk youth, the paper presents ideas that government agencies and private foundations…

This Challenge to Lead report, Getting Serious About High School Graduation, not only describes the challenges SREB states face in meeting the goal that all young adults have a high school diploma, but it also provides policies and strategies that each state can--and should--use to get serious about high school graduation. It is possible to adjust…

This brief discusses a research study that was conducted to determine the rates of degree completion of community college occupational students compared with other types of postsecondary students, and to identify factors that might explain those differences. Much of the existing literature on college persistence and completion is focused on…

This report describes the Body of Evidence approach taken in Wyoming to implement standards-based graduation. The Body of Evidence plan calls for more than a single test to justify issuing a high school diploma. Graduation requirement rules, known as Chapter 31 rules, establish the requirements for a diploma. The body of evidence is to be…

This document is designed to assist classroom teachers in preparing students to complete successfully the "Alabama High School Graduation Exam" (AHSGE). The document describes the content for the language and reading comprehension portion of the AHSGE. The teaching strategies, activities, and resources contained in the document were…

The New Jersey High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) is a "high stakes" test administered as a graduation requirement to all 11th grade students in New Jersey high schools. High school principals have been held increasingly accountable for successful HSPT scores. This study used Leithwood's model of transformational leadership (K.…

This study addressed the question of whether new Regents graduation requirements and higher standards for grade promotion are leading to an increase in the dropout rate in New York City schools, examining data from previous research on similar issues. One study noted the impact of promotional Gates for grades 4 and 7 (part of promotional policy in…

The class of 1998 was the first class required by North Carolina State Board of Education policy to meet a higher competency standard in reading and mathematics in order to receive a high school diploma. Data in this report about student performance on this standard were provided by each of the local education agencies in the state. The percentage…

Fashioned after the LaGuardia model, Mission Middle College Program began in the fall of 2001. It is an educational collaboration between the Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD) and Mission Community College in Santa Clara, California. It is a program for students who are highly intellectual and capable but uninspired and outside the high…

This third report on the performance of Texas public universities provides summary information on performance in academic and other areas in table form. A section on statewide comparisons contains these tables: (1) statewide higher education enrollment; (2) fall 1999 headcount enrollment by ethnicity; (2) selected student demographics; (3) 6-year…

This report addresses the scope of Arizona's dropout problem and strategies for changing the situation. An introduction examines the magnitude of the problem, who is dropping out and why, costs of dropping out, what works in combating high dropout rates, what Arizona citizens and leaders can do, and what steps should be taken to reduce the dropout…

This report presents an update on what has happened in college athletics since three previous reports published in the early 1990s. It was developed following a series of meetings with a broad range of sports representatives and higher education leaders. The report examines progress made by the NCAA toward a proposed "one-plus-three"…

In an archival study, the academic outcomes of 653 students with disabilities and 41,357 students without disabilities attending Dawson College (Quebec) were compared over a 12-year period (1990-2002). Students with disabilities were more likely to have been enrolled in a pre-university program, less likely to enroll in a continuing education…