The first of three self-contained studies in this report characterizes those who chose to take the California High School Proficiency Examination and those who passed. Characteristics of examinees' families, schools, and communities were also identified. In the second report, a school financial simulation model calculated district revenues which…

The New York State Regents Competency Testing Program is described. Competency tests have been developed in the basic skills of reading, writing, and mathematics, for two purposes: (1) to identify those students who need remedial help; and (2) to assure that students receiving high school diplomas have acquired adequate competence in these areas.…

Examination of the impact of within-school educational practices on minority students between 1968 and 1982 reveals disparities between Black and White and/or Hispanic and White students in ability-grouping placements, disciplinary actions, and graduation ratios. Substantial differences in minority and White teacher/administrative employment…

Faced with increasing enrollment and state legislation requiring more laboratory work, this school system hired an architectural firm to devise a cost-effective "District-wide Science Facility Master Plan." The process of developing that plan and some of its conclusions are described here. Illustrations are provided. (DCS)

Testing programs enacted by the state legislature are changing and improving Florida's educational system in five areas: (1) setting standards for students; (2) making schools more accountable; (3) creating growth through competiton; (4) evaluating educational programs; and (5) assuring the competency of educators. (BS)

At a time when many states are becoming increasingly diverse, the need for more complete and useful measures of educational equality among ethnic and gender groups is critical. This study--funded by the Lumina Foundation for Education--examines disparities in educational attainment among race/ethnic and gender groups in the U.S. and within each…

This paper summarizes a panel discussion that addressed exit-exam policies and dropout issues. It presents the panel members' conclusions about existing research and their recommendations on what kinds of further work are needed. Research on how exit exams affect dropout rates is limited and inconclusive, so policies continue to be made in the…

The Digest of Education Statistics provides a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of education from prekindergarten through graduate school. Topics in the Digest include: the number of schools and colleges; teachers; enrollments; graduates; educational attainment; finances; federal funds for education; employment and…

In 2001, Missouri's K-16 project launched the K-12 Task Force on Achievement Gap Elimination, which believes that improving teacher quality is the single most important factor in eliminating the achievement gap among Missouri students. This report describes the significance of teacher quality on student achievement, emphasizing the uneven…

This study investigated high school policies and practices that encourage or discourage students' enrollment in advanced mathematics courses, examining the effects of schools' graduation requirements, course offerings, and tracking practices on patterns of mathematics courses taken by high school students. Data came from the High School Transcript…

This guide describes the measures California state officials use to evaluate schools and school districts, explaining what they are and what they indicate. Results of standard tests and the Academic Performance Index (API) indicate substantial gaps between the achievement of various groups of students in California. African American, Latino, and…

In the higher education sector most students enrol in a course with the intention of obtaining a qualification. In the vocational education and training (VET) sector many students tend to complete only some units of competencies or modules of a course. This study analysed the progress until 2000 of students who commenced a TAFE course in 1997, and…

Interest in creating the conditions that enhance student learning and support students in achieving their educational goals is at an all-time high. Four-fifths of high school graduates need some form of postsecondary education to acquire the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to address increasingly complex social, economic, and…

Delaware's secretary of education and the president of the State Board of Education asked Achieve to provide an analysis of the quality of Delaware's high school content standards and its course-taking requirements. In assisting Delaware in its commitment to raising the quality of its expectations for high school graduates, Achieve examined the…

The materials presented here are designed to provide background information and stimulate discussion of bilingual education in a televised town meeting held on May 9, 1996 in Sacramento, California. The meeting, one of a series, is intended as a forum for California high school students, educators, and legislators to engage in dialogue about…