In Texas, control of schooling has shifted from the public toward business-controlled management accountability systems--exemplified in the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills ("the Texas Accountability System"). TAAS adversely affects teaching and learning by mandating a "test-prep" noncurriculum, discriminating against…

This Opportunity 08 position paper advises that the next President of the United States should focus on lifting the achievement levels of our nation's schoolchildren. It recommends that the new President should mount a determined effort, together with states and local school districts, to boost the academic performance of low achievers by: (1)…

The nation's dropout problem has been making national headlines with more and more frequency and more and more urgency. Although certainly not a new problem, the failure to earn a high school diploma is receiving heightened attention because the causes and effects of dropping out have changed significantly. No longer is a dropout simply a young…

The University of Akron's Reading Assessment Component (RAC) research study assessed the effectiveness of a computer-based literacy program, Principles of the Alphabet Literacy System (PALS), as an alternative to classroom instruction for functionally illiterate adults living in Summit County, Ohio. The RAC study assessed four objectives: (1)…

Although the Task Force on School Governance report claims that restructuring of school boards is essential to save the nation's failing schools, the real failure is society itself. Societal problems such as the nation's $4 trillion debt, air and water pollution, crime, drug abuse, and special interest lobbies abound, and legislators'…

Plans for restructuring Tennessee public education have been interrupted by the prolonged national recession and a $276.4 million reduction in the 1991-92 state education budget. The state's 1991 Annual Joint Report identified 26 essential educational objectives. Although progress in some areas has been limited, Tennessee has achieved a 25 percent…

The transition to high school is a crucial time in a student's academic career. This summary is presented as a caution to students, parents, teachers, administrators, and the public to warn of some of the hazards of the transition year (grade nine). In 1989-90, ninth-graders in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District had the lowest…

This publication is the second of two dropout reports prepared in 1988-89 for the Houston (Texas) Independent School District. The first report presented dropout data for each of the district's secondary schools as well as for the district as a whole. This follow-up report on HISD's 1988-89 dropouts presents a districtwide perspective on…

The One Major at a Time (OMAT) dropout program implemented for ninth and tenth graders by the Chicago, Illinois public schools is examined in this second year study. A description of the program includes information on its purpose, organization, instructional methods, student population, and objectives. Data on findings compare OMAT students with…

One hundred twenty-five students found to have few areas of skill mastery were selected to form the Fresh Start Minischool (FSMS). The Fresh Start approach was characterized by individualized instruction in four academic areas (Social Studies, English, Mathematics, and Science). Students proceeded at their own pace and acquired skills according to…

This report documents the extraordinary crisis facing Florida's public schools and provides evidence that Amendment 9--a proposed constitutional amendment to reduce class sizes--is a cost-effective and invaluable first step to rebuilding its troubled public schools. The report also sets the record straight about the long-term benefits of investing…

This paper examines the impact on student learning of the Programa para Abatir el Rezago Educativo (PARE), which aimed to improve the quality and efficiency of primary education in four Mexican states by increasing school resources. PARE was implemented in the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Chiapas, and Hidalgo, which have the highest incidence of…

To counter Hispanic migrant youth's educational discontinuities and high dropout rate, Congress established the national Migrant Education Program as part of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The Hawkins-Stafford Amendment (1988) expanded students' eligibility. Describes exemplary programs for older students: PASS (Portable Assisted…

The authors analyzed student data from the U.S. Department of Education's "Annual Reports to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" to asses patterns and trends in the educational placement of students with emotional or behavioral disorders (E/BD), as well as their means of school exit and the…

"KidsCount in Colorado!" is an annual publication of the Colorado Children's Campaign, which provides the best available state- and county-level data to measure and track the education, health and general well-being of the state's children. KidsCount in Colorado! informs policy debates and community discussions, serving as a valuable…