In fall 2000, all 3,506 superintendents in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin received a survey that asked them to report on the strategies they had implemented to attract and retain teachers and on how effective those strategies had been. The survey was designed to collect basic information about a variety of…

This first section of this report profiles the first five Alternative Routes to Certification (ARTC) cohorts (1997-98 through 2001-02), including patterns of district and school participation and characteristics of all 164 candidates enrolled by district during the first 5 years. It addresses the question of who participates in ARTC. The second…

The constant state of "simply making it through the day" for many beginning teachers affects their physical and mental well-being, and impacts their decision to stay in the field of education. Given the seriousness of teacher burnout, it behooves school systems to provide an induction experience for beginning teachers that will contribute to their…

This book surveys the Career in Teaching (CIT) initiative launched in Rochester, New York, looking at its impact on the district since 1987. CIT incorporates support for new teachers, provides opportunities for highly accomplished teachers to share their skills, and offers peer review and assistance to teachers experiencing problems in their…

Utah is experiencing chronic, critical, special-educator shortages in all positions and disability areas, including speech and language pathologists and school psychologists. The Utah Attrition Study found that the most common reason for special education professionals leaving positions was "moving out of state," followed by personal…

This document reports on outcomes of online courses offered at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC), California, during the three semesters from fall 2000 to fall 2001. The study combines a comparative and exploratory design to investigate the demographic makeup and academic success of online students compared to peer on campus classes and the campus…

This digest presents information about the Los Angeles Community Colleges and their students using tables, charts, and narrative text that emphasize trends and changes during the past twenty years. Statistical highlights include: (1) in 1998, Los Angeles Community College enrollment declined by 45 students overall (East and Valley had the highest…

This working paper is a staff paper prepared to elicit discussion of issues as they relate to degree completion and persistence in Indiana's public postsecondary education. This is based on a requirement from the Indiana General Assembly for the Commission of Higher Education to "develop a definition for and report biennially on" degree…

This document reports on student outcomes in developmental English and mathematics courses at Germanna Community College (Virginia) for the academic period 1994-2000. The study addressed four main issues: (1) the proportion of students enrolled in developmental math and English courses; (2) the success rate for students in developmental courses;…

This digest is drawn from "Transfer Students: Trends and Issues," the summer 2001 issue of New Directions for Community Colleges. Although community colleges in the United States have complex academic and vocational goals, the transfer function is of central importance to maintaining access to higher education. Community colleges provide…

This study examined factors affecting academic achievement of at-risk minority students to evaluate intervention strategies designed to assist such students. Data were obtained on 2,386 first-time college students entering Prince George's Community College (Maryland) in fall 1990. Factor analysis identified 10 variables that explained a…

A survey of 16 rural students attending college in Perth, Australia, found that all of them felt disadvantaged because of issues specific to their rural status. These issues were emotional, social, and financial or a combination thereof. The emotional and social concerns were loneliness, making new friends, and learning to adjust to an urban…

This paper examines and refutes the hypothesis that white, male, middle class college students are falling behind their female peers in higher education. After an introduction, the paper focuses on gender gaps in the educational pipeline, discussing several indicators that could be used to measure educational attainment. These include high school…

This paper reports on a longitudinal case study of an elementary teacher during her transition from preservice to inservice teaching. Bandura's (1995) concept of self-efficacy belief is used as a framework for presenting the findings of the study. The subject's experiences in science teaching provided information about her competency as a teacher,…

Elementary teachers' attitudes towards science and their confidence to teach it have for some time been identified as important in determining both the quality and quantity of science taught to children. Attitudes and confidence are influenced greatly by the teachers' own experiences as learners of science. This paper reports on a longitudinal…