Since 2002, the Center on Education Policy (CEP) has been studying state high school exit examinations--tests that students must pass to receive a high school diploma. Each year, a national report has been published with findings about the 26 states that have or will soon implement exit exams. In addition, occasional reports have been published…

This is the 9th annual report on conditions affecting the Racine Unified School District RUSD). Over the past decade, the conditions affecting the district as well as the school outcomes have changed in some ways and remained stable in others. This analysis compares RUSD to nine peer school districts and the state of Wisconsin. RUSD peer…

Regression analysis was used to study retention and graduation for the fall 1996 entering class of students at a midwestern research extensive university (n = 3,610; 44% female, 8% minority, 77% in-state). Logistic regression was used to predict the likelihood of a student being retained for each of four years, and the outcome of graduation at the…

A study of City University of New York (CUNY) career graduates was conducted in 1981-82 to identify variables relating to the length of time taken by students to complete 2-year career programs and attain associate degrees. The study, which focused on business, health technology, and engineering technology graduates, utilized survey and transcript…

The graduation rates of the fall semester freshman classes that entered the Indiana University Bloomington (IU) campus between 1970-1977 (excluding 1973) were examined, and the results of a 1975 survey were extended. In addition, the current analysis examines the graduation rate of each class in relation to student race and sex, and new…

This document summarizes the state of education in Maryland in 2003 following adoption of the Achievement Matters Most school reform plan. Advances in attendance, graduation and academic achievement are summarized. Continuing commitment to student health and safety, and the ongoing challenges of teacher preparation, recruitment and retention are…

Data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) are designed to provide a national picture of the rate at which secondary school students with disabilities complete high school and how they fare in their early postschool years. Further, comparisons of findings from NLTS2 and the original NLTS enables an investigation of changes in…

This paper is intended to promote discussion among professionals, policymakers, employers, parents, and individuals with disabilities concerning current and future challenges facing secondary education and transition services nationally. The issues identified and discussed should not, however, be viewed as inclusive of the full range of possible…

The colleges in the Illinois Community College System submit detailed student records twice during each fiscal year. This report is based on fiscal year 2004 enrollments and completions and comparative information is supplied from the four previous fiscal years (2000-2003) are also presented. Detailed tables comparing fiscal year 2003 and fiscal…

This study evaluates the effect that the size of a state's school districts has on public high school graduation rates. The authors calculate the graduation rate over the last decade and examine the relationship between these graduation rates and changes in each state's average school district size. The study finds that decreasing the size of…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 established a requirement that all states develop and submit to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) a performance plan designed to improve the educational and functional outcomes for children with disabilities. The state plan must…

Howard Bowen (1996) wryly observed decades ago that colleges and universities raise all the money they can, and then they spend it. His point was that institutions have more good ideas than they can fully fund. As a consequence, they are constantly making choices as to how to best use their finite resources. Where and how resources are allocated…

Starting a new position is exhilarating. The key challenge is to make the strange familiar as soon as possible. There are new policies to learn, new colleagues to get to know, and new surroundings to adapt to. All these aspects and more need to be understood and managed well in order to focus on the primary task at hand--teaching and learning. Of…

More than 300 tribal representatives and educators from across New Mexico met at Ohkay Owingeh on December 19, 2005, to discuss ways to improve education for American Indian students in New Mexico. The Summit was a collaborative effort by New Mexico's Office of Indian Affairs, Public Education Department, Higher Education Department, and tribal…

Controversies over graduation rates and No Child Left Behind have raged in research, media and political circles for almost a year. All too often, though, when complex issues of social and economic importance collide with policy and politics, heat is generated but little light. As a result, it may be difficult for local educators to parse the…