America's secondary schools are failing far too many of their students. Policymakers and members of the education community generally agree that the problems in America's high schools have reached crisis proportions in recent years. Transforming schools and educating all students well requires thoughtful, coordinated, systemic change. To ensure…

This report presents the findings of the Arizona Indicators Panel, a statewide representative sample of Arizonans conducted in May and July 2008. Arizonans think best of local hospitals and community parks among a group of government and community services. While they did not think particularly well of the responsiveness of local governments' to…

A growing number of educators and policymakers have begun focusing on the goal of preparing all or nearly all high school students for college and other advanced postsecondary learning opportunities. To meet this goal, states are adopting policies to encourage nearly all students, not just those seeking entry into competitive four-year colleges,…

Because of increased pressure on schools and teachers to provide environments more conducive to decreasing student attrition rates, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of teachers who have achieved postgraduate certification on the number of students who drop out and those who continue their education after graduation in…

This book gathers facts about Hispanic families in the United States and describes the Intercultural Development Research Association's distilled experience involving families in their children's educations. Researchers conducted focused interviews with a variety of Hispanic parents, and asked a school administrator and a principal who have…

The Alternative Basic Comprehension Program (Project A.B.C.) was an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII-funded special alternative instructional program in its fourth year at two high schools in the Bronx (New York). In 1993-94, the project served 264 students of limited English proficiency from many countries. Participating students…

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 report presents performance data and the standards of performance that form the basis of school improvement in Maryland. The report reflects an accountability system that is central to the Maryland School Performance Program (MSPP) and that is designed to move the state toward high quality education. The report includes Maryland School…

This paper reports on a continuing study of Australian Aboriginal and Navajo Indian children. The study investigates the relevance and applicability of goal theory to explaining indigenous minority motivation in school settings. Task, ego social solidarity, and extrinsic goal structures were examined as a means of explaining and predicting…

This publication presents statistical information about elementary, secondary, and higher education in the United States in compact form. This information is presented in much greater detail in the "Digest of Education Statistics,""The Condition of Education," and "Youth Indicators." In 1995 there were about 45…

This paper systematically reviews research on the effectiveness of collaborative school-linked programs. It first briefly discusses the history and current stage of practice of such programs, and then summarizes the design and findings of 55 school-linked programs with collaborative elements. Advocates of collaborative programs believe that making…

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…

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…

In compliance with state law, the Austin Independent School District (AISD) (Texas) provides programs to help students identified as limited English proficient (LEP). These are Bilingual Education (BE) courses which provide dual-language instruction in major content areas, and English as a Second Language (ESL), which provides intensive English…

To reduce the number of school dropouts and youth homicides and to change poor social outcomes for children and youth at risk, it is necessary to consider socially imposed risk factors and reconceptualize ways of thinking about risk. Chapters in this collection discuss risk factors and show that schools can become supportive environments that…