A unanimous 1997 state Supreme Court decision declaring Vermont's educational funding system unconstitutional prompted the legislature to pass Act 60 establishing state block grants and a guaranteed tax-yield system. Act 60 is working to provide equity in tax burdens and in tax rates. A variety of transitional features have helped to buffer…

This report discusses educational outcomes for Washington state's public high school students, describing national trends in high school reform. Information came from surveys and interviews with teachers, students, and parents and national and state data. Many reforms have been tried nationwide. Most Washington high schools had students in…

This report summarizes a study of student achievement and workforce success that used data from the 1990 U.S. Census of Arizona. It focuses primarily on Hispanics and Native Americans in Arizona. Sections contained in this report are: (1) "Macro-Economic Conditions"; (2) "Educational Attainment"; (3) "Workforce…

In response to the growing achievement gap between English Learners (ELs) and non-ELs, standards-based instruction and assessment have been promulgated at the state and federal level. Yet, the consequences of standards-based assessment reforms for ELs have rarely been systematically studied. The work reported here represents the initial study of a…

Surveys selected literature pertaining to Chicanos and higher education with emphasis on publications appearing between 1969 and 1979 and on materials dealing with California. Summarizes and synthesizes the information pertaining to the access, presence, status, participation, and attrition of Chicanos in higher education; admission criteria; and…

Interviews with 48 Mexican American college students who excelled in high school revealed that Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores did not predict time to completion of degree, college grade point average, or likelihood of applying to graduate school. However, many students with low SAT scores were initially traumatized and were aware of missed…

Analyzes the relationships among mathematics achievement levels, income potential, high school aspirations, and the gender segregation of bachelor's degrees. Investigates how gender segregation changed between 1973 and 1983. Concludes that gender segregation is present at the high school and bachelor's levels. Maintains that psychological barriers…

Factors in the decline in Black male enrollment in medical schools are examined, including the general medical school applicant pool, popularity of undergraduate biology degrees, Black enrollment in college, poverty, and employment opportunities. Social implications, areas for further research, and potential solutions are discussed. (Author/MSE)

At a southwestern Chicago high school, an institute sponsored by the Associated Equipment Distributors Foundation has boosted student achievement by linking honors-level academics and technical training to a guaranteed job. The construction equipment industry's willingness to invest time, equipment, know-how, and funds is key to program success.…

This review examines the impact of future goals on motivation and learning in multicultural classrooms. Across cultures, schooling is a future-oriented investment. Studies of minority students' school achievement have advanced future goals as a crucial protective factor in the face of frequent school failure. At the same time, cultural…

Computer-based multimedia technologies have great potential for providing rich learning opportunities for school leaders in the context of their work. One promising avenue is the development of hypertext narratives of practice that can capture and communicate the complexities of exemplary leadership practice. This paper discusses the construction…

The more mathematics and science subjects are included in the curriculum in upper secondary education, the higher the number of accessible follow-up studies provided. The meritocratic caliber of secondary education is threatened when groups of students distinguished according to sex, social, and ethnic background but with otherwise equal…

This report presents an analysis of graduation rates for the New York City public high schools for recent years. The analysis is based on cohort data published by the City Board of Education. Preoccupation with the dropout rate may obscure the more important fact that the graduation rate has not improved. The proportion of New York City public…

Biosocial influences on sex differences, found for school achievement test results in grades 3 and 6, have been studied by means of opposite-sex twin pairs and singleton controls, attending the same classes as the twins. As expected the opposite-sex twin pairs tend to be more similar in achievement test results in Swedish and mathematics than…

This report presents the results of a study that was conducted concerning the progress through the educational system, since the enactment of the Higher Education Act of 1965, of four large groups of Americans: women, Blacks, Hispanics, and low family income students. The study found that women have made steady and substantial progress over the…