University students (N = 103) enrolled in multiple wellness courses at a small northeastern public university completed a questionnaire measuring wellness patterns at the beginning and end of a wellness course delivered totally on line (web-based), in the traditional classroom, or in a mix of the two formats (blended). Attrition of participants…

The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in student success by retained students who participate in the Hamblen County (Tennessee) Credit Recovery Program [HCCRP] in the year prior and following their participation. HCCRP is an alternative intervention for students who have been retained in the middle grades of Hamblen County School…

This quantitative study evaluated the gains and evaluation outcomes of the compulsory Career and Technical Education (CTE) Introduction course. All Utah public school seventh-grade students are required to enroll in this school-year course. The matched-pair design used preexisting data to analyze 6,078 pre-and postsurvey responses collected at the…

This dissertation addresses questions about the impact and consequences of current school reforms by examining how mandated packaged reading programs contribute to a commodification of knowledge that is changing conceptualizations of literacy, teaching, and learning. Grounded in cultural-historical theories of literacy and learning, this work…

Since 1953, the MLA has conducted a survey of entrance and degree requirements for languages other than English. The surveys reveal trends over time and show how colleges and universities in the United States have added, dropped, or changed their requirements. Entrance and degree requirements are one measure of the value that an institution…

In California, an increasing number of 8th graders have taken algebra courses since 2003. This study examines students' California Standards Test (CST) results in grades 7 through 11, aiming to reveal who took the CST for Algebra I in 8th grade and whether the increase has led to a rise in students' taking higher-level mathematics CSTs and an…

This article explores how Bourdieu's notion of "habitus" might be employed to shed light on the self-efficacy of primary teachers as they take on an additional specialism when modern foreign languages becomes statutory in primary schools in the new English National Curriculum in 2014. The article argues that Bandura's four principles of…

Mathematics and science course graduation requirement (CGR) increases in the 1980s and 1990s might have had both intended and unintended consequences. Using logistic regression with Census and American Community Survey (ACS) data (n = 2,892,444), we modeled CGR exposure on (a) high school dropout, (b) beginning college, and (c) obtaining any…

A wide body of literature documents the important role that parents play in supporting children's academic success in school (Houtenville & Conway, 2008; Barnard, 2004; Fan & Chen, 2001). Drawing on this literature, national taskforces and federal legislation consistently identify increased parental involvement as a central goal of…

ACTA [American Council of Trustees and Alumni] today released a report that examines the country's most prestigious liberal arts colleges. Despite endowments soaring as high as $1.8 billion, nearly all institutions increased tuition during the Great Recession to finance bloated administrative spending, with many college presidents enjoying…

The authors report the status of personal financial education in light of the recent economic crisis from the perspective of secondary school business teachers. Results showed that in the state of Kansas, 20% of the schools required a personal finance course prior to high school graduation, with 12% considering such a requirement. The recession…

Across the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast Region there is growing interest in strengthening the presence of online learning in all public schools to help equalize education opportunities for all students and prepare students for a digital future. For instance, the North Carolina General Assembly has required that the state transition to…

Placement of some students into the courses needed only for high school graduation and others into those that prepare them for college constitutes academic stratification. This study uses data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 to investigate whether students labeled with learning disabilities complete fewer academic courses by the end…

Branches of science and technical/engineering study have for a long time been the less favoured disciplines and students have not been interested in studying them. Informatics/computer education, based on its character, belongs to these disciplines, but on the contrary it belongs rather to the group of popular school subjects. The paper presents…

Nursing schools face the challenge of improving student academic performance and completion rates. The current supply of newly graduated nurses fails to meet the increasing demands of society. In 2009, Cochise College responded by implementing a major change in their curriculum to improve student retention and academic performance. The problem…