For most of Minnesota's 150 years of statehood, its distinctive economic advantages were largely a function of its natural resources, such as timber, taconite and tourism. Today, while these and other resources remain cornerstones of the state economy, it is clear that the intellectual capacity of Minnesota's people is emerging as a promising…

More than ever before, educators across the United States are enabling a wider and more ethnically diverse proportion of students to achieve success in AP[R]. Significant inequities, however, which jeopardize traditionally underserved students' chances at college success, remain. This "Report" uses a combination of state, national, and…

A study begun in a Texas school district in 1988 focused on families of Mexican origin, studying characteristics of their schools and studying what the families and schools did or did not do to promote graduation from high school. The sample of 100 15-year-olds labeled as "at risk" was fairly typical of Latino students in the school…

A pilot survey was conducted to explore why some young African American men living in cities stay in high school and why others drop out. Between October 1993 and March 1994, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 360 young black men aged 17 to 22, randomly drawn from census tracts in New York (New York), Chicago (Illinois), Los Angeles…

Seven case illustrations of affirmative action (AFA) programs are presented. Increases in the numbers of women and minority students at professional schools have been reported, but disadvantaged populations still suffer underrepresentation. The literature indicates that effective AFA may be realized through: early identification programs and…

In response to a gap in the literature on student development with respect to the role of the family, and anecdotal evidence that the family's influence on the college student's development is profound, a review of the relevant literature on higher education, social psychology, psychiatry, sociology of the family, and family therapy was…

This curriculum guide outlines two one-semester home economics courses that students can take to fulfill requirements in social studies or vocational education. The courses, Money and Your Future and Consumer Skills, contain the academic competencies from the Connecticut Common Core of Learning required for credit in social studies. The curriculum…

Characteristics related to the potential strength of state curriculum control policies in California, Florida, New York, and Texas are described in this report. Each of these states has recently strengthened its influence over the high school curriculum. This report examines the strength of the state policies that: (1) define the high school…

This paper provides a synopsis of issues and recommendations regarding school reform, based on discussions held at the 1990 Forum on Emerging Trends in Special Education and Implications for Training Personnel. The paper calls for schools to adopt a collaborative model that infuses special education policies and practices into general education.…

Wisconsin educators and education policymakers participated significantly in the development of the state's Blueprint for Excellence. The Blueprint's 20 standards are an integrated set of minimal expectations brought together for the purpose of making schools more effective for all students. To help school district decisionmakers review activities…

Between 1978 and 1983, Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) undertook a comprehensive reform of its educational program in order to permit the continuation of the open door, while strengthening expectations and increasing the educational achievement of its graduates. Elements of the reform included the reinstatement of a placement testing program;…

The first section of this report presents an overview of the national response to the report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education, "A Nation at Risk." Responses from the public are cited in the form of quotations from leading publications and results of polls. Responses from the education profession and its national…

Ninth grade results from the April 1989 administration of the New Jersey High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) are reported. Passing the HSPT, which consists of reading, writing, and mathematics sections, is a high school graduation requirement in New Jersey. In 1989, the HSPT was administered to 67,099 ninth, 6,352 10th, 3,018 11th, and 762 12th…

The 1987 High School Transcript Study was designed to provide educational policymakers with information regarding current course offerings and course taking in the nation's secondary schools. As a part of the study, analysis of course-taking patterns of 1987 graduates were compared with data for 1982 graduates. In the fall of 1987, high school…

This minicourse has been designed for counselors to use with "About High School, Book 4" of the Educational Opportunities in Virginia publications. It consists of a sequential series of six 45-minute classroom guidance sessions to be conducted with seventh grade students. The course focuses on helping students, with parent involvement,…