The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act provides support "to ensure that teachers have the necessary subject matter knowledge and teaching skills in the academic subjects that the teachers teach." Title II of the act allows funds to be used for "carrying out programs that establish, expand, or improve alternative routes for state…

Both supporters and critics of Texas' Top 10 Percent law have been surprised at its popularity, but some UT officials and legislators would like to see the program scaled back. As a Texas state legislator, Jim McReynolds, D-Lufkin, knows a thing or two about influencing the voting positions of his colleagues. This past spring, when Texas House…

This article describes the teacher testing requirements that have been mandated by the Texas legislature. Teacher tests which are already in effect or will be required are: a basic skills tests; an initial certification test; an incumbent educators test; a master teacher test; and an alternative certification test. (MT)

This paper addresses how institutional selectivity influences college preferences and enrollment decisions of Texas seniors in the presence of a putatively race-neutral admissions policy--the top 10% law. We analyze a representative survey of Texas high school seniors as of spring, 2002, who were re-interviewed 1 year later to evaluate differences…

Texas, California, and Florida are implementing versions of a percent plan in college admissions. This report assesses these plans using data from published information on the plans; state- and institution-calculated higher education application, admission, and enrollment data; media accounts of social and political contexts surrounding the plans;…

This paper describes the college admission process through the conceptual lens of Dickason's (2001) phases of affirmative action. The first phase, obligatory affirmative action, describes the history of affirmative action and the impact on college admission. The second phase, voluntary affirmative action, describes University of West Florida's…

Although the SAT has traditionally been the standardized test of choice for Texas students, nearly a third of the college-bound population in 1998 opted to take the ACT in addition to the SAT. Because most universities now accept both the SAT and the ACT, many testing experts believe taking both exams is a growing trend due to increased pressure…

As Texas' elite public colleges and universities experience enrollment declines, the state is requesting clarification of the legal decision in "Hopwood v. Texas," in which the court rejected affirmative action and mandated race-neutral admissions policies. The Texas attorney general disagrees with federal officials and critics on…

Articles on recruitment and retention of minority college students include discussion of the following: anti-affirmative-action lawsuits, results of Georgia's state-funded tuition program, institutional interest in and capability for recruitment, technology in the curriculum, new admissions models for inclusion, affirmative-action policies and…