This report presents Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) examination participation and performance results in Texas public schools for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years. Data are provided by student characteristics, including race/ethnicity; gender; and economic, atrisk, English language learner, immigrant, and migrant…

This annual report provides information for the 2010-11 school year on grade-level retention and student performance in the Texas public school system. Student retention and promotion data are reported with data on the performance of students in Grades 3-10 on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) reading and mathematics tests. [For…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which Career and Technical Education (CTE) enrollment and expenditure differed as a function of the accountability ratings of Texas public high schools. The extent to which CTE enrollment and expenditure influences accountability ratings is not clear. Accordingly, in this study, CTE…

This study explores the characteristics of after-school program activities at a charter school in the Southeast US highlighting students' experiences with and gains from these after-school program activities. A qualitative case study design was employed to understand students' views and opinions regarding the activities and their learning…

As of 2008, approximately 40% of eighth grade students in the United States enroll in Algebra I (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2008). Although research has shown that students have more opportunities to take advanced mathematics courses by taking eighth grade Algebra I, in the United States, approximately only one-third to one-half…

Bullying in schools has received increasing attention since its implication in a number of school-based shooting incidents. A number of protective factors have been identified as reducing risk behaviors such as substance abuse among adolescents. This framework, however, has not been examined with respect to bullying victims. The results of a…

Since 1986, Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) has conducted an annual attrition study to track the number and percent of students in Texas who are lost from public secondary school enrollment prior to graduation. The study builds on the series of studies that began when IDRA conducted the first comprehensive study of school…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the score differences on the Texas Academic Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) Reading and Mathematics measures among students in Grades 10 and 11 as a function of music enrollment. Specifically, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and enrollment in choir, band, or orchestra or no music enrollment…

This report reviews Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) examination participation and performance in Texas during the 2009-10 school year. Campus-, district-, and state-level examination results for students in Texas public schools are presented, as well as state-level examination results for students in Texas public and…

High school dropout, enrollment, and graduation rates are important indicators of students' college and career readiness, which in turn significantly impact both individual income levels and the overall knowledge-driven economy. Despite the long-term benefits of a high school education, much of the current literature on raising school…

What distinguishes high schools that "beat the odds" for students from traditionally lower-performing groups from schools that struggle to improve the achievement and graduation rates of these student populations? What types of programs, practices, and processes support better than expected outcomes for students at risk of failure? How…

This study examines 4 groups of high school students enrolled in 2 college preparatory programs, AVID and GEAR UP. Differences in student educational aspirations, expectations and anticipations, knowledge of college entrance requirements, knowledge of financial aid, and academic achievement in mathematics were examined. Adelman's (1999)…

Explored where bullying occurred, what kind of bullying happened, how often bullying occurred, and whom students confided in when bullying occurred at school. Surveys of rural 9th and 10th graders indicated that bullying was a very real part of their daily lives. Nearly 75 percent reported some type of bullying at school, and many observed…

Research was conducted to determine the occupational orientations and aspirations of a sample of Mexican American high school sophomore students from schools in 2 selected Southwest Texas counties and 2 selected South Texas counties. Data were gathered in May, 1967, by means of group interviews in selected schools. Interviews were conducted by…

Information obtained from Mexican American students in a 1967 study of high school sophomores in 4 Texas counties was analyzed empirically relating to occupational goals and expectations. It was concluded that: (1) large proportions of the Mexican American youth studied desired high-level occupations; (2) little difference existed between the…