This study tested a causal model of the development of spatial visualization based on a synthesis of past and present research. During the summer and fall of 1999, 117 third- and fourth-year undergraduates majoring in architecture, mathematics, mathematics education, and mechanical engineering completed a spatial visualization test and a…

This conference paper discusses the highlights of a 3-year evaluation of an Illinois program designed to provide community-based supports and services for youth with emotional and behavioral disabilities. Five sites were funded and information was collected on 215 youth and their families. All sites received training and technical assistance on…

This study examines how accurately first-year undergraduate students at a public university self-report family income. A comparison of student-reported income to financial aid records found that less than 40 percent of students in three incoming classes of first-year undergraduates (1995, 1996, 1997) accurately reported family income on an…

A new formula proposed for categorically funding local education programs in Illinois can channel more money into programs for excellence than can general purpose grants. The formula, which would provide venture capital to stimulate local initiatives, would depend on district plans for using the money to improve instruction and on distribution of…

As interest in tuition tax credits has increased, one of the central issues has become the likely loss (or cost) that would result from adopting such a plan. In this paper the author first analyzes the likely independent effects of changes in the four major characteristics of tax credits (scope of eligibility, maximum amount, proportion of costs…

This research was designed to compare the responses of disadvantaged and advantaged 5-year-olds in typical Piagetian experiments, in order to determine whether differences exist in the normative characteristics of centering, conservation, egocentricity, space conception, and irreversibility. A sample of 60 children was drawn from a metropolitan…

In this article, we review some of the ways socioeconomic status has been measured on assessments and the issues associated with measuring SES of students, issues which are not limited to statistical concerns. We also present possible proxy measures that could be used as a means of potentially overcoming some of the problems with current measures…

This study examined first- to second-semester persistence of first-time, full-time college freshmen at a public four-year institution, focusing on Tinto's (1993) concept of separation. Data were collected from 689 first-time, full-time freshmen using the Cooperative Institutional Research Program 1995 Student Information Form, and from 411…

Information is presented on 1981-1982 costs and financial aid for full-time undergraduates in New York. Income data are reported for 2,902 students, along with information about an aid recipient's dependency status and income. Sector comparisons among financially dependent/independent undergraduates are shown. Among financially dependent…

Key factors influencing the decision to attend private school are identified in this paper. It looks at the factors accounting for varying rates of private school attendance and estimates the responsiveness of such attendance to government support. It studies the variation in private school attendance rates at three levels: across states, across…

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between reading achievement and a set of social and individual variables through the use of a critical path analysis. Data, taken from Cycle II of the National Health Examination Survey, included statistics on a national sample of 7,119 children, ages six through eleven years. Four…

The problem of discrimination against families within the context of changing sex roles and the growing diversity of family structure is discussed in this paper. It begins with an analysis of underlying social trends, then focuses on sex discrimination and discrimination against different family types and concludes with an interpretation of…

Three longitudinal studies of student achievement test data were conducted to examine the extent to which the variation in student achievement can be explained by differences in student background (including socioeconomic and prior achievement data) and school resources. This model assumes that achievement test performance may be predicted by…

This collection of seven abridged symposium papers discusses contemporary social conditions which affect the nuclear family and suggests directions for intervention. The introduction declares that the family remains the single most important unit in civilized society. Its destruction is seen to be the destruction of society as we know it. The…

The study explored sex disparities in economic remuneration for gainful employment among black, blue collar wage earners residing in selected nonmetropolitan and metropolitan areas of Texas. The bulk of the workers' families lived in or near poverty and were highly dependent on famale as well as male income. Preliminary analysis revealed that…