"The Condition of Education" summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest data available. The 2002 edition included a special analysis that describes nontraditional undergraduates in terms of their demographic characteristics, enrollment patterns, ways of combining school and work, participation in distance education,…

Objective: The current study explores three avenues in early young adulthood through which adolescent problems may be linked to later substance use problems: problematic substance use, failure to assume adult roles and responsibilities, and exposure to pro-drug social influences. Method: Participants (N = 1,986; 49% female) filled out surveys at…

Education, ingenuity, and perseverance have always been important components of the American dream. Today, a college degree is an increasingly critical milestone on the road to personal independence and career success. The individual gains from education are more obvious, but society also benefits substantially from the skills and knowledge of…

This study examined the effects of full-time employment, marriage, and parenthood on the re-enrollment in college of individuals who stopped attending college before completing a degree. Data were obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS-72), focusing on the initial 7 years of the tracking period, from…

Parent involvement in their children's education has been well established as an important component of academic success. To explore this phenomenon, parents were invited into the classroom to participate in a regular lesson so as to determine if such participation would enhance their perception of education and subsequently increase students'…

This document highlights some of the success stories resulting from the activities of the Houston READ Commission (HRC), a nonprofit urban literacy coalition created by the Mayor and City Council of the Greater Houston area. It relates the stories of "those who are the future," lists gifts which support HRC programs, and donors and…

The Summer Youth Employment Program was designed to give at-risk youth educational opportunities and work experience during the summer. This paper gives an overview of the Program's operation in Pima County (Arizona). Test results are presented for 1,975 youth in the summer of 1996 and for 1,178 youths in 1997. Student progress was evaluated with…

This report describes a 1998 consultation conducted to examine the impact of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 on legal immigrants and refugees in Rhode Island. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act restricted access of documented immigrants to a wide range of government programs such as…

This status report documents the postsecondary progress of the 1993-1994 Florida public high school graduating class through the spring term of 2001, or 7 years after high school graduation. The two major outcomes addressed were baccalaureate degree completion and the time/credit hours to baccalaureate degree completion. The study focused on…

The 2000-2001 school year marked the first year of implementation of the Wake County Board of Education's Promotion and Intervention Policy at grades K through 8. It also marked the first year of the state's requirement that third, fifth, and eight grade students demonstrate grade level proficiency on the state End-of-Grade tests in reading and…

The majority of candidates who take the Tests of General Educational Development (GED) take those tests within 2 years of leaving school, but this study highlights the demographic profile and performance of candidates who, for a variety of reasons, waited anywhere from 24 to 54 years to attempt to obtain the GED high school equivalency credential.…

Alternative schools are defined in this report as schools or programs targeting students who are unsuccessful in the traditional school environment. These schools often see their mission as one of dropout prevention. Certain features are usually associated with alternative schools, including a clear mission, a small enrollment, a more personal…

This digest summarizes the effective bilingual strategies described in a commissioned paper, "Transforming Education for Hispanic Youth: Exemplary Practices" by Anne Turnbaugh Lockwood and Walter G. Secada, and the recommendations of the Hispanic Dropout Project (U.S. Department of Education) for transforming bilingual education at all…

This paper discusses several issues considered as part of a statewide mentoring initiative. It is divided into three sections. The first section summarizes the key issues associated with short-term mentoring and mentoring in a longer-term, socially transformative context. Data from Comprehensive School Alienation Program is discussed concerning…

This study examined the determinants of school enrollment in Ghana, considering historical and social information to formulate an econometric model of school enrollment patterns for households. Data came from a 1989 survey of households in Ghana. The survey collected basic information about community characteristics, health and school facilities,…