Several decades of research has demonstrated that students' perceptions about the amount of control they have over academic successes and failures contribute significantly to school performance. This paper reviews research studies that have investigated locus of control and causal attribution in the school setting. Suggestions are made for…

Papers from the opening session of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) conference are presented. "New Beginnings" (Robert Wedgeworth) opens the conference and pays tribute to S. R. Ranganathan, in whose memory the conference was dedicated, and William Warner Bishop, also a past president of IFLA.…

An assessment of the educational status of children and youth attending Cleveland (Ohio) public schools was conducted through analysis of recent trends in the district and a comparison of the performance of students in the Cleveland schools with that of students in other large urban districts, Atlanta (Georgia), Boston (Massachusetts), and San…

This paper examines the incentive structures in rural communities that encourage or discourage the accumulation of human capital. This is done by identifying the factors that influence educational performance in four school districts in rural Appalachian Virginia and Kentucky. A review of human capital theory, models, and functions generated six…

The 1994-1995 study of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) Preschool Programs constitutes the fourth year of evaluation of the state-mandated preschool programs for at-risk 4-year-old children and 3- and 4-year-olds with disabilities. The report is divided into sections which discuss the methodology and the results (the bulk of the report) of…

This report provides an overview of Hispanic participation in education at the national level, in the state of Wisconsin, and in the Wisconsin Technical Colleges (WTCs). The first section provides national statistics, indicating that in 1990 Hispanics had a high school completion rate of 54.9%, more than 20 points below Black and 30 points below…

This booklet summarizes major conclusions and the statistical evidence supporting them concerning how changes in higher education revenue and expenditure are related to institutional enrollments, tuition and fee charges, and student financial aid, as well as the overall value of a higher education degree. Findings are organized into the categories…

Many studies have found that literacy exists in low-SES (low socioeconomic status) children's daily lives--it is the meaning, frequency of use, depth, and general use of literacy at home that affect the children's progress in school. Research studies clearly show differences in home literacy development of low-SES and higher income children that…

While a vast majority of children in Nebraska are experiencing a safe, healthy, and nurturing childhood, a significant number are not, and some of these numbers are growing. This Kids Count report is the third annual comprehensive review of available data in nine areas of child health and well-being in the state. Presented with these statistics…

The goal of this text is to help educators recognize and reduce ethnic, socioeconomic, gender, contextual, and communicative disparities and inequalities in school. It is designed for preservice educators and attempts to help them understand the influence of diversity factors on the educational careers of their students. Chapter 1 describes the…

Depression is known as one of the most common mental disorders found in the general population. Research that attempts to look specifically at depression and how it relates to Hispanic women however, is rare in contrast to the volumes of literature on depression itself. The purpose of this paper is to acknowledge, review, and critique the…

A study investigated the participation of black Americans in vocational education. Four national data sets were analyzed: "The High School and Beyond Surveys,""The 1987 High School Transcript Study,""The Schools and Staffing Survey of 1987," and "National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty." The analyses revealed the following: (1) at the secondary…

From the mid-1950s to the 1960s, the government of Peru undertook a major expansion of public education, increasing the number of schools, requiring primary schools that offered an incomplete cycle to add grades, and increasing school inputs (principally teachers and textbooks). The effects of Peru's educational policies, and the effect of family…

This study explored how American and Taiwanese students viewed the ideal model of a healthy family in the 1980s and showed that contemporary families are changing and coping, not breaking up and dying. The subjects were 649 students from six universities in Indiana and Taiwan. The questionnaire was composed of 127 items that focused on five…

This set of factsheets presents information and statistics about adolescent mothers in the United States in the areas of: (1) births and marriage; (2) aid to families of dependent children (AFDC); (3) education and training; (4) living arrangements; and (5) subsequent pregnancy. Even though the adolescent birth rate in the United States is…