Presents a study which examined differences between and within schools in the allocation of opportunities for learning to determine whether they influence academic achievement of individual students. Results show few between-school effects but important within-school influences. Includes ten charts. (Author/AEM)

Around the country, innovative community colleges are playing a larger role in helping low-skilled adults gain the valuable skills and credentials that are the gateway to family-supporting careers. Breaking Through looks at whether--and how--these institutions can significantly improve the odds that low-income, lowskilled adults earn the…

This paper presents the results of efforts focusing on equitable practices in education in three states. The paper has three objectives: (1) to provide an overview of the implementation of equitable instructional strategies designed to increase student achievement and close identified performance gaps between and within traditional underserved…

Emerging research suggests that providing personal computers to students, in combination with a constructivist teaching approach, holds promise for significant gains in student achievement. As we begin a process of using one-on-one learning with laptop computers in a large urban district, it is important to share information concerning the design,…

Examines the long-term effects of working in high school on educational attainment and labor-force outcomes. Suggests moderate negative effects in that working youths are less likely to attend or complete college. These effects, however, are somewhat mediated by income and employment status. (MJP)

Described are the camps, competitions, and tests of the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad. International competition, local exams, participating high schools, and national exams are highlighted. A summary of test results from the 1988 national examinations are presented. (CW)

A study found that students, grades 8-11, leaving immersion programs were dissatisfied with the quality of instruction and the content and difficulty of immersion courses, and felt better grades would be obtained in the English program. A greater percentage of immersion students felt bilingual education would lead to better employment and…

Studies how the local economic structure, as measured by local job opportunities, affects students' educational achievements, synthesizing studies from Florida, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Appalachian Virginia. A model is proposed to explain how the value placed on education is affected by local opportunity. (SLD)

Although many factors combine to make a successful school, most people agree that quality teachers and school principals are among the most important requirements for success, especially when success is defined by the ability of the school to raise the achievement of its students. The central question for this study is how the quality of the…

This paper examines the incentive structures in rural communities that encourage or discourage the accumulation of human capital. This is done by identifying the factors that influence educational performance in four school districts in rural Appalachian Virginia and Kentucky. A review of human capital theory, models, and functions generated six…

The primary purpose of the research presented in this paper is to develop a more complete model of educational attainment. Age at first birth is examined by multiple regression, along with other independent variables that have been found to affect educational attainment, including age at marriage. The second purpose of this paper is to address the…

INFORMATION ABOUT LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS AND MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT TRAINING RESOURCES, IN 15 SOUTHERN STATES, WAS ANALYZED TO DETERMINE PROGRAMS WHICH WOULD EFFECTIVELY INCREASE MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES. SOCIAL SCIENTISTS (1) TALKED WITH MORE THAN 360 STAFF MEMBERS IN 58 SCHOOLS, (2) CONTACTED FEDERAL, STATE, LABOR, AND PRIVATE…

Analyses of population statistics for persons with Spanish surnames in California in 1960 indicate a movement from rural to urban areas, although not to the extent that Negro or total nonwhite populations have become urbanized. Unemployment rates for persons with Spanish surnames remain above those for the total white population, and automation…

The study reviews orthodox theories of labor markets, presents new formulations of segmentation theory, and provides empirical tests of segmentation in the United States and several developing nations. Orthodox labor market theory views labor as being paid for its contribution to production and that investment in education and vocational training…

The primary assertion of this study was that equality of educational opportunity must reduce the poverty status of the poor and of minorities. This study argued that the most directly relevant school variable likely to reduce poverty is increased educational attainment because of its correlation to income which correlates to the quality of one's…