This 15th annual "KIDS COUNT Data Book" examines the issues surrounding America's most at-risk young adults. It examines who they are, why it is so critical that they receive help, and what they need to succeed. Just as important, it outlines a number of ways the path of their lives can be altered thus increasing the odds that they too,…

This document provides an overview and analysis of how a series of national conferences held in the fall of 2003 framed conversations around high schools and high-school-age youth This analysis explores the underlying assumptions of these frameworks and the extent to which they coalesced or diverged. The report also examines the content of the…

America's standard of living and international competitiveness will be strengthened if its high schools are improved. Research indicates that about 75 percent of America's state prison inmates, almost 59 percent of federal inmates, and 69 percent of jail inmates did not complete high school. Additionally, the number of prison inmates without a…

Focus on Basics is the quarterly publication of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. It presents best practices, current research on adult learning and literacy, and how research is used by adult basic education teachers, counselors, program administrators, and policymakers. Focus on Basics is dedicated to connecting…

Immigrants compose an increasingly large share of the U.S. labor force and growing share of low-wage workers. Immigrants' hourly wages are lower on average than those for natives. Immigrant workers are much more likely than native workers to drop out of high school. Three-fourths of all U.S. workers with less than a ninth grade education are…

Using 2000 U.S. Census data, this report compares the situation of children in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to children's situations in neighboring territories and the nation overall. Between 1990-2000, the number of children in the Northern Mariana Islands increased 49 percent, while the number increased nationwide by only 14…

This study addresses Arizona dropout rates for individual schools, school districts, counties, and the state categorized by grade, gender, and ethnicity. In addition, the data include actual student enrollment and dropout counts. Dropout rates are reported for grades 7 through 12 based on a calendar year that begins the first day of summer recess…

This paper describes a study in progress that is designed to examine the pressures that low-income, first generation African-American college students experience to leave college and the factors that help them stay in college, especially as the elements are related to Vincent Tinto's concept of social integration. It is planned to examine the…

Although society has changed exponentially over the past 100 years, secondary schools have remained largely static, according to Gerald Hayward, who moderated EdSource's 28th Annual Forum, "Shaking up the Status Quo: The Movement to Transform High School," held in March 2005. Calling high schools difficult, complicated, and expensive,…

California is experiencing a critical shortage of nurses -- a shortage that is likely to increase in the coming years (Coffman & Spetz, 1999). Although much of the nation is also experiencing similar shortages, California's shortage is more severe than that of any other state in the nation (Bureau of Health Professions, 2002). Most analyses of…

In 1990, social science programs in Quebec's colleges in Canada were revised to standardize core courses and objectives across individual courses. Subsequently, the province's Commission on the Evaluation of Collegiate Teaching undertook an evaluation of the revised program to determine its administration and effectiveness, as well as the…

This report is a formative evaluation of the YouthBuild Demonstration Project that began in 1991 and ended in 1994. The YouthBuild Model, developed in earlier programs, was directed at young people who were largely disconnected from schools and jobs. Major components of the project were counseling, academic remediation with preparation for the…

This report is the outcome of a 1-day conference organized by the Southwark Black Education Group (London, England) Southwark Council for Community Relations, documents concerns of the black community about the exclusion of black students from the schools, and presents some practices that have been applied successfully in some schools to improve…

The introduction of mentoring approaches into local career guidance strategies could represent an important method of helping disengaged young people achieve a new sense of direction. The aim of Britain's Mentoring Action Project (MAP) initiative has been to create the opportunity to explore the potential for one-to-one mentoring in career…

Trends in economics in the United States show a strong positive relationship between educational attainment and productivity growth. The earnings differential between those with more education and those with less education reflects the fact that education raises productivity rather than the fact that more productive students go on to pursue more…