Analysis of census data on 19,748 persons, aged 16-24, examined the extent to which higher rural than urban dropout rates are attributable to spatial differences in family structure or economic resources. Poverty status accounted for more of the higher rural dropout rate than did differences in family structure. (KS)

This study found that, of 24 minority students placed in gifted classes from K-12, none dropped out, though 45 percent of 67 gifted minority students not placed in gifted classes dropped out. Graduation rates from the academically talented program followed the proportions of minority to nonminority students in the program. (JDD)

Correlations between (1) Michigan school districts' expenditures, various supports, and revenues; and (2) each district's educational background, median family income, racial composition, and dropout rate were analyzed. Data used in this study were obtained from the Michigan Department of Education. (SLD)

A Maine study found that homework often disrupts family life, interferes with parents' own teachings, and punishes children in poverty for lacking computer access and/or a supportive home environment. The standards movement requires teaching in a more tightly controlled system, leaving no room for homework, an unknown variable. (Contains 13…

The aim of this report was to quantify the benefit, in terms of higher wages, of completing a vocational education and training (VET) qualification. Two factors influenced the direction of this research. First of all, VET is concerned primarily with improvements in skill levels (with a likely consequence of improved productivity and therefore…

In September 1993 the Ontario Ministry of Education (Canada) changed the curriculum of grade 9 students, which resulted in the destreaming and decrediting of grade 9 students during their first year of high school. This report presents findings of a study that examined the impact of the changes on grade 9 students in the Toronto Board. The study…

This study compared the academic performance of community college students who transferred to the Faculty of Arts at York University in Ontario (Canada) to the performance of students with Ontario Academic Credit (OAC) backgrounds admitted to the same faculty between 1987 and 1992. The academic performance of 155 community college transfer…

A study examined the outcomes of the No Pass/No Play Arizona Board of Education rule that requires pupils to pass all of their classes in order to participate in extracurricular activities. Student records of all 7th through 12th grade extracurricular activity participants in the Mesa Unified School District (Arizona) were reviewed. The data…

A study was done of the destinations of secondary school dropouts in 1990 in the Northern Territory of Australia, focusing on aspects of the school-to-work transition. The study contacted students through mailed surveys and telephone interviews. Information on dropouts not contacted through these methods was gained from the Northern Territory…

This report examines the progress in human capital development made by counties in the South during the 1980s. County-level data from 13 southern states were collected primarily from the 1980 and 1990 censuses. Thirteen maps depict, at the county level, completion of high school or more in 1980 and 1990, percent change in high school completion…

This study tests the hypothesis that the local labor market structure, particularly the proportions of high- and low-paying occupations, affects human capital investment. Most studies have assumed that the direction of causation flows from the supply of human capital to employment growth. However, the creation of low-skilled jobs merely reshuffles…

The objectives of a research project were to: (1) give an account of the adult literacy movement in New Zealand between 1974 and 1988; (2) gather, analyze, and report on the number of students in adult literacy programs between 1974 and 1987; (3) examine the nature of adult literacy programs; (4) describe the development of funding arrangements of…

A study sought to discover several general principles of student attrition, based on investigations into students dropping out of school carried out between 1973 and 1986. These investigations included a survey of 21 head instructors and 289 students at an Ontario community college, impressions gained from students dropping out of adult basic…

The Chicago public school system has a 50 percent dropout rate, low-achieving students, a nonresponsive bureaucracy, and many related urban school problems. The Chicago School Reform Act, PA 85-1418, was enacted by the Illinois legislature in 1989 to address the situation. To determine the effectiveness of the Chicago school reform movement thus…

This report contains research findings on student achievement and retention at New York City alternative high schools serving dropouts and potential dropouts. After a summary and introduction, statistics are presented which reveal that alternative schools facilitate positive changes in student performance. Next, reasons for students' dropping out…