"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Teacher Excellence for All Children: Senior Democrat Offers Legislation Featuring Teacher Incentives and Induction…

This report summarizes the results of academic, career and technical, adult education, and developmental education programs that were reviewed during fiscal year 2005. Summaries include both program strengths and the common challenges colleges face in keeping instruction relevant while maintaining cost-efficiency. Specific quality improvements at…

This report describes the Hispanic population in the United States. Data come mainly from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2000 Census and the March 2000 Current Population Survey and Report on Hispanics. Six sections include: (1) "Introduction" (overview of the U.S. Latino population, translating the data, and the U.S. agenda for Hispanics); (2) "Strong…

In both France and Germany, the government, employers' organizations, and unions all participate in defining vocational diplomas based on a national framework of procedures of elaborating and standardizing titles. Important differences between the diploma definition processes in France and Germany may be identified. In Germany, the issue is…

This report discusses the findings of a survey of the 50 states that investigated how state graduation requirements apply to students with limited English proficiency (LEP) and whether students with LEP receive a standard diploma upon completion of their studies or some type of modified exit document. Results found a minimum graduation requirement…

This publication explores the experiences of Latinas in the United States' educational system, utilizing the concept of "possible selves" to investigate the lives of Latinas in school, at home, and with their peers. The concept of "possible selves" articulates the interaction between Latinas' current social contexts and their…

Standards-based curricula are being created throughout the world, and exit exams are being implemented in order to make sure that students meet those standards. There is a real potential that these standards will help improve the achievement of students, but there is also a possibility that these exams will be implemented in a way that will be…

This report describes the June 2000 White House Strategy Session on Improving Hispanic Student Achievement, which focused on developing effective strategies aligned with broad national education goals. The report outlines the challenges that the U.S. faces in increasing Hispanic student achievement, and it shares the many recommendations made by…

This report provides the Washington State legislature, the Governor, and other interested parties with an update on the accountability performance of each of the state's public baccalaureate institutions (Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, Evergreen State College, Washington State University, Western Washington…

This booklet is the fifth in a series designed to assist parents who are home-schooling their adolescent children and deals with high school requirements and college admissions. The articles in this booklet are: (1) "'How Do We Know When We're Done?'," concerning criteria for high school graduation, college recommendations, and evaluating…

The trend toward the development of functional communication skills and a longer sequence of language study has been hastened by an awakened public interest in modern foreign languages and by the emphasis given to language development in the National Defense Education Act. Both the immediate and the long-range objectives of foreign language study…

For too many graduates, the American high school diploma signifies only a broken promise. While students and their parents may still believe that the diploma reflects adequate preparation for the intellectual demands of college or work, employers and postsecondary institutions know that it often serves as little more than a certificate of…

The kingdom of Morocco has developed an educational system that incorporates traditional customs and values of the people with the system of accountability practiced there under French colonial rule. A highly structured curriculum for each educational level is combined with a minimum competency requirement at each grade level. (Author/MH)

Debate over the Stanford University (California) freshman humanities requirement, hailed by some as the birth of multiculturalism, by others as the death of the Western canon, has been rekindled as Stanford reconsiders its curriculum. Some consider possible changes a political, not academic, action. Reformers favor focusing on development of…

Central Park East Secondary School in New York City is a secondary school run in the kindergarten tradition of personalized learning and catering to the student's growing independence. The description of the school's operation is accompanied by an interview with its codirector, D. Meier. (SLD)