Black students who had positive interracial contact prior to college experienced more positive interracial contact on campus, had stronger feelings of being prepared for higher education, and expressed less trauma and more satisfaction with their decision to attend college. These findings support K-12 school integration policies recommended by…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Education Budget Receives Chilly Reception in Senate Hearing: Education Secretary Defends Spending Cuts as Necessary; (2) "The…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) See You Next Year: Congress Wraps Up for 2006, Delays Education Funding Decisions to 2007; (2) "Healthier and Wealthier":…

The National Forum on Education Statistics (Forum) is a cooperative of state, local, and federal education agencies. The goal of Forum activities is to improve the quality of education data gathered for use by policymakers and programmatic decision-makers. One approach to furthering this goal has been to pool the collective experiences of Forum…

In 2005, the Monitoring the Future study marked its 31st year of conducting national surveys of substance use among American young people. Beginning with the first survey of high school seniors in 1975, the study has provided the nation with a window through which to view the important, but largely hidden, problem behaviors of illicit drug use,…

The adult and community (ACE) sector and technical and futher education (TAFE) institutes provide programs for young people which re-connect them to education. This report suggests these programs and settings are considered effective pathways for some young people who have left school early. The researchers found students are attracted to the…

This second edition has been updated and expanded to provide state-of-the-art coverage of the Chicano school experience, with contributions from experts in education and other fields. The book's five sections focus on a comprehensive review of Chicano schooling conditions and outcomes, and implications of the growing Chicano population; language…

This 5-year study is evaluating the Public Charter Schools Program (PCSP), a federal effort to help charter schools meet planning, startup, and early implementation costs. It is gathering local, state, and federal information about the program, documenting the evolution of the charter school movement. Researchers are studying the operations and…

This study addresses Waukesha County Technical College's (WCTC) 5-year retention and graduate rates. Some of the key findings of the report are as follow: (1) overall, 35.4% of cohort students graduated; (2) a 4-year combined graduation rate for ethnic minorities was 26%, well below the overall average; (3) the percent of cohort that graduated…

MDRC's Opening Doors to Earning Credentials Project and its early reports found that community colleges are the local educational institutions with the greatest potential for helping low-wage workers earn skills and credentials that lead to educational and career advancement. Opening Doors also identified serious obstacles to realizing that…

Studies investigating academic persistence compose one of the most widely reported areas of research in higher education. Tinto is most often cited in and associated with student persistence research. This paper details the origins of Tinto's theories, as well as subsequent criticisms and reformulations of those fundamental theories. The origins…

This study investigated the impact of school counseling services on students at four Latino plurality high schools in Chicago, Illinois. From 2001-2002, principals, counselors, and students at the four high schools completed surveys. A sub-group of diverse students completed focus groups, and counselors completed interviews. Findings from a total…

An Australian national task force examined a number of areas related to achieving educational equality for Australia's Indigenous peoples. Young Indigenous Australians are disproportionately represented among young people who do not successfully negotiate the transition from school to independence and employment. This paper focuses on issues of…

The most accurate method for tracking high school graduation rates is to provide each student with a single lifetime school identification number that would follow him or her throughout his or her entire school career. Texas has this system in place, but this report demonstrates that the official rates Texas has historically reported dramatically…

Mexican descent students leave school before completions at a much higher rate than other ethnic groups. Marginalization is one contributing factor. Thirty-two Mexican descent students were interviewed with two main objectives: What marginalization factors did they experience in their secondary schools? What factors allowed them to overcome…