Background/Context: Research on the postsecondary education of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) students has typically focused on attainment within four-year colleges and neglected the experiences of API students in community colleges. However, many API students pursuing postsecondary education, particularly Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander…

A four-year college degree increases a student's employment prospects and earning potential. Given this importance, it is not surprising that 75 percent of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) high school students aspire to obtain at least a four-year college degree. Yet, prior research showed that few achieved this goal: a 2006 University of Chicago…

This dissertation examines the student academic achievement through various mechanisms, put in place by the public school district, classroom student behavior, and negative external shocks to the students' living environment. I examine the impacts of various treatments on student short and long run academic outcomes such as math and English test…

A study released last week suggesting that California's high school exit exams are affecting some student demographic groups more than others is the latest in a small spate of studies pointing to trade-offs from policies that require high school students to pass state tests to graduate. Twenty-six states have exit exams in place or will by 2012,…

Little attention has been paid to the role of peer social capital in the school context, especially as a predictor of adolescents' academic outcomes. This study uses a nationally representative (N = 13,738, female = 51%), longitudinal sample and multilevel models to examine how peer networks impact educational achievement and attainment. Results…

One of the most important indicators of educational performance is the high school dropout rate. Reducing dropout rates and improving high school graduation rates are important goals for both educators and policymakers. Yet there is a great deal of controversy about how best to measure dropout and graduation rates. This issue of EL Facts provides…

A study was done to determine enrollment, persistence and graduation patterns of domestic special action students at the University of California Davis. Special action students are the small portion who are admitted despite not meeting undergraduate eligibility requirements (specific course work, grade point average and standardized test scores)…

Studies predicting success in college for students graduating since 1980 are reviewed. SAT scores and high school records are the most common predictors, but a few studies of other predictors are included. The review establishes that SAT scores and high school records predict academic performance, nonacademic accomplishments, leadership in…

This study examined the possible influence of socioeconomic background and academic preparation of freshmen entering University of California Davis in Fall 1988 on persistence to graduation. Most academic data for the study came from a longitudinal database of undergraduates enrolled at Davis. Socioeconomic background data came from a freshman…

This study examined academic performance, indebtedness, delayed graduation, and predictors of licensing exam performance of 140 Asian-American and 2,269 white graduates of the Jefferson Medical College (Pennsylvania). Results found that the Medical College Admission Test reading score was the major predictor of later performance for Asian-American…

Since 1978, annual studies have been conducted of the flow of transfer students from the California community colleges to the University of California and the California State University (CSU). The studies have focused on trends in the numbers of transfers and the ethnicity, majors, and age of transfer students. Findings from the study of fall…

This report compares Oregon's reading and mathematics performance on the most recent administrations of the state assessment with performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). To indicate how Oregon is doing in narrowing the academic achievement gap between African American and Latino students and their white, middle class…

This report compares Rhode Island's reading and mathematics performance on the most recent administrations of the state assessment with performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). To indicate how Rhode Island is doing in narrowing the academic achievement gap between African American and Latino students and their white,…

This report compares Texas's reading and mathematics performance on the most recent administrations of the state assessment with performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). To indicate how Texas is doing in narrowing the academic achievement gap between African American and Latino students and their white, middle class…

This report compares Utah's reading and mathematics performance on the most recent administrations of the state assessment with performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). To indicate how Utah is doing in narrowing the academic achievement gap between African American and Latino students and their white, middle class…