This mixed methods study explores the relationship between ninth grade academy in South Carolina public high schools and student achievement in 84 high schools matched on poverty index and school size. The 2007 and 2008 South Carolina school report card data were used to gather information about the individual schools. The presence or absence of a…

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the differences in teacher quality, student achievement, and graduation rates among select North Carolina urban high schools based on their racial segregation when measured by the entropy index. The entropy index is a measure of evenness among racial groups used to determine the level of segregation…

Performance funding in higher education ties state funding directly to institutional performance on specific indicators, such as rates of retention, graduation, and job placement. One of the great puzzles about performance funding is that it has been both popular and unstable. Between 1979 and 2007, 26 states enacted it, but 14 of those states…

This report summarizes key findings and recommendations from a Community College Research Center (CCRC) study designed to help community colleges develop strategies for improving the rate at which academically underprepared students take and pass initial college-level (or "gatekeeper") courses in math and English. CCRC conducted the…

This study seeks to build on and contribute to research about the access to academic success of economically disadvantaged university students. The researchers aimed to answer the broad question, "How can a public university most effectively and efficiently facilitate the access to academic success and on-time degree completion of low-income…

This article evaluated the impact of a group counseling intervention on African-American students' achievement rates during the spring administration of high-stakes testing at a rural high school in Georgia. Eighty percent of eligible students who participated in the intervention received passing scores on the four sections tested during the…

Published annually since 1997, Newark Kids Count tracks key trends in child health and well-being in New Jersey's largest city with the latest statistics available. Newark Kids Count includes the latest statistics, along with five-year trend data, in the following areas: the state of children and families, family economic security, affordable…

This report was prepared by a special task force of the National Association of Secondary School Principals to aid professional educators and community groups who may wish to consider possible changes in high school graduation requirements. The report discusses a number of issues surrounding graduation and offers some specific recommendations…

High school graduation exams are in place in nearly half the states, and more than half the nation's high school students have to pass them to earn a diploma. After a detailed analysis of the mathematics and English language arts exams in Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas, Achieve reached three conclusions: (1) Tests are…

This paper discusses the national movement toward increasing high school graduation requirements and the development of alternatives to the standard high school diploma for students with disabilities. Findings from a review of state policies indicate: (1) 38 states and territories apply some graduation requirements to students with disabilities;…

In more than 90 percent of the American colleges the prevailing method of transfer from secondary school to college is by certification, based on the pupil's record in secondary school. In the large majority of cases a record of graduation from an accredited secondary school is required to every student admitted to college. When it is considered…

North Carolina says it graduates 97 percent of its high school students, while Washington state reports it gives diplomas to just 66 percent. But researchers, using methods they believe are more accurate, estimate that the two states' graduation rates are essentially the same, at around 64 percent. Acknowledging that such disparities in data are…

Based on state and federal statistics, minority students are not being over identified for Special Education, the students in Special Education have a lower dropout rate than the students in general education, and students in Special Education show growth towards closing their learning gap. There are three controversial issues concerning Special…

This brief calculates graduation rates for the state of Florida using longitudinal data. The authors describe their measurement strategies and compare them with the state's official measurement procedures. They calculate the diploma and General Education Development (GED) attainment rates of six separate cohorts of Florida 9th graders who began…

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of acceleration (dual enrollment) on college graduation. Over 9,200 student records from 1996 to 2006 at North Iowa Area Community College were analyzed in a logistics regression model. Holding all other independent variables constant the odds that an accelerated student graduates compared to a…