Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), or drone applications have experienced tremendous growth over the past several years. Their capabilities and technology have penetrated many aspects of the modern world. They are being used for everything from emergency response and agricultural research, to entrepreneur businesses and package deliveries. Experienced…

Performance funding policies for higher education allocate appropriations to public institutions based on student outcomes such as degree completions. This study investigates whether a special science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) incentive in 13 state performance funding policies leads to greater undergraduate degree…

As part of our research on the community college baccalaureate (CCB), we studied the prospects of adopting and scaling CCB degrees in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Higher education leaders in these six Great Lakes states recognized the potential for CCB degrees to increase academic, geographic and financial access to…

Research studies have been ambivalent about whether enrolling in community college makes completing a bachelor's degree less likely than directly enrolling in a four-year institution. This study uses propensity score matching with a posttreatment adjustment to determine the treatment effect associated with taking the community college to four-year…

Research focused on Latinas/os in higher education often examines patterns of failure, while neglecting factors that contribute to Latina/o generational familial success. This article focuses on intergenerational strategies taught within college-educated Puerto Rican households that assist in academic achievement and success in higher education.…

Objective: Recent studies have shown that community college transfer students are just as likely to graduate with a bachelor's degree as students who directly enroll in a 4-year institution. However, these studies do not typically examine whether there is a penalty for community college students in terms of the length of time it takes to complete…

Rationale: Research examining the relationship between initial community college enrollment and bachelor's completion have shown mixed results with some studies indicating a clear penalty for community college enrollment and other studies showing no penalty, partly due to the point at which the given study began tracking the community college…

Illinois education policymakers have adopted the completion agenda that emphasizes increasing postsecondary credential attainment. Meeting completion agenda goals necessitates addressing the achievement gap. To aid in developing policy to support improved completion, this study analyzes a comprehensive statewide dataset of the 2003 Illinois high…

This study highlights the postsecondary pathways of students with disabilities from the Illinois high school class of 2002 (N=7,598) and provides comparisons to the students from the same cohort without a disability (N=105,537). The current study has two parts: 1) an analysis of the differences between students with disabilities and students…

This study uses a unique, longitudinal statewide database to track students through the new teacher supply pipeline from high school through college and initial teacher certification. The report examines how each stage influences the characteristics of those who enter the teaching profession, with particular attention to academic skills and…

In this study I explored the existing perceptions of community college in the western suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Three different groups of people were interviewed in the research process including high school students, college students and citizens who lived in towns supported by a community college. Common themes of perception found within the…

In 2001, Illinois began administering the ACT (American College Testing) test to all 11th graders in Illinois public schools as part of the Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE). For the first time, ACT scores and background information were available for most public-school students who would be completing high school one year later, rather than…

In 2001, Illinois began administering the ACT (American College Testing) test to all 11th graders in Illinois public schools as part of the Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE). For the first time, ACT scores and background information were available for most public-school students who would be completing high school one year later, rather than…

This cooperative education survey of student employee salaries and benefits supplies information to educational practitioners throughout the Midwest interested in providing their student employees with reasonable and fair remuneration for their work. Two survey questionnaires were used, one for bachelors' degree programs and another for associate…

Data collected from more than 5,400 students in nontraditional programs offered by Illinois Universities provides information for educators who are planning or administering similar adult education programs. (Author/JH)