Analyzes the graduation requirements of 40 community colleges to determine whether their general education requirements match their curricular offerings. Suggests that, in general, colleges do match general education requirements and curricular offerings and that their success assists in student transfer between two- and four-year colleges. (MAB)

A survey of 58 dental school periodontics departments revealed the frequency of predoctoral dental students performing surgery, the frequency of specific procedures, the degree of participation or performance of students, incidence of preclinical surgical laboratories in the curricula, and materials and anesthesia used. A wide range in…

A survey of 12 Canadian ministers of education and 18 colleges found that (1) high school graduation requirements reflect college entrance requirements; (2) the rigid pattern of course requirements for college entrance is not supported by research; and (3) conflicting views on this issue indicate a need for in-depth exploration. (SK)

A Northwestern University (Illinois) medical residency program requires each student to complete a research project. Project goals and structure are specific, but residents may choose any project that is original, ethical, and scientifically sound. So far, one-third of the projects have been published or presented at a regional or national…

Recounts two homeless teenagers' struggle to stabilize their lives and graduate from high school. To help other heroic, homeless students, high schools should adopt flexible admission criteria, attendance policies, course offerings, and class assignments and provide special education services, transportation vouchers, and emotional support when…

Describes how the Arizona Department of Education's rush to implement the AIMS (Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards) high school graduation exam provoked justifiable protest from parents, students, school officials, and education experts in the state. Argues that, if critics and advocates are unable to work together, it will be Arizona's…

A follow-up survey of 791 liberal arts graduates of the University of Iowa seven years after an initial post-graduation survey investigated whether their perceptions of the value of the general education requirements had changed over time and, if so, how. Results reinforced a 1996 revision of the general education program. (MSE)

The Federal District Court ruled in favor of the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, school board's requirement that, as a condition for graduation, each student must perform 50 hours of unpaid community service. (MLF)

Graduation rates of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I scholarship athletes have shown the first across-the-board decline since the Association began publishing rates in 1990. Much attention this year has focused on male basketball players; only 41% of those who entered college in 1991 graduated within six years. Many leave…

Reports on the development of a learning package for a newly introduced test in Hong Kong, the Graduating Students' Language Proficiency Assessment (GSLPA)-English. Examines reactions of teachers and students to the learning package during piloting of the materials. (Author/VWL)

Studied whether school-to-work programs facilitate postsecondary education by examining records for all applicants (more than 1,000, from 1990 through December 31, 1998) from a single inner-city school district at a comprehensive urban university. Findings suggest that students from career academies have higher academic achievement, less need for…

Reviews and evaluates compensatory and conjunctive standard-setting strategies, presenting and discussing the rationales for each approach. Results of a comparison of the two approaches for a state high school certification writing test provide insight into the problem of choosing either strategy. (SLD)

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Schools, researchers examined the relationship between three state policies (graduation requirements, test score dissemination, and site-based management) and changes in school practices between 1980-93. Results indicate that state policies influenced school practices in policy specific domains,…

A U.S. Department of Education study concluded that the most significant predictor of college completion is not SAT scores or socioeconomic status, but a school curriculum's academic intensity: advanced math, 4 years of English, 2 years of lab science and foreign language, and advanced-placement courses. (MLH)

Second in a two-part series, this article reports the findings of a long-term study of teen parents after graduation from high school. The study examined marital status, financial status, educational aspirations, and parenting attitudes. Concludes that the factor most important to outcomes is to support and strengthen the families of parenting…