Objective: In the first study of its kind, the impact of excluding noncredit enrollments in calculations of spending in community colleges is explored. Noncredit enrollments are not reported to Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), but expenditures for these efforts are. This study corrects for this omission and provides new…

Given what seems a constant barrage of criticism aimed at the academy from politicians and the public--and the great concern for buzz words like accountability and transparency--it has become fairly routine to see a defense of the humanities in opinion pieces in "Inside Higher Education," "The Chronicle of Higher Education,"…

The field of teacher preparation is falling short of its most important responsibility: ensuring that the teachers we train are ready to do the job. For more than a decade,TNTP preparation programs produced teachers who were no more or less effective than teachers from any other program-- some were great, some were poor, most were about average.…

A startling number of students arrive at the doors of colleges and universities lacking the essential skills and knowledge required to succeed there. If given the proper tools and supports, the great majority of these students would be able to achieve their goals in and outside of the classroom. But most of them are shuttled off to developmental…

Potential students hoping to gauge the quality of courses at Portland State University might be forgiven for feeling confused. On the one hand, the University Studies program, which uses interdisciplinary seminars during the first two years to develop students' core skills, has been widely praised and emulated. The Council for Higher Education…

As educators, government officials, and foundations leaders have embraced the agenda of dramatically increasing college success and credential completion, they have come to understand the need for better data on student outcomes to guide the improvement efforts of institutions, systems, and states. The data on degree completion and other final…

This study, conducted during the 2006/07 academic year, describes how four midsize urban school districts in the Northeast and Islands Region--Worcester, Massachusetts; Nashua, New Hampshire; Yonkers, New York; and Providence, Rhode Island--were providing foundation skills assessments and programs to struggling middle-grade readers. Researchers…

Learning communities are a popular strategy that community colleges nationwide have embraced in support of developmental students. In a learning community, a cohort of students takes two or more courses linked by integrated themes and assignments that are developed through ongoing faculty collaboration. While the number of learning community…

The Multi-State Study of Pre-kindergarten by the National Center for Early Development & Learning (NCEDL) offers a first glance at pre-K children, teachers, and classroom quality in six states. This Snapshot overviews three recent articles co-authored by FPG scientists that summarize findings of the study about children, pre-K teachers, and…

This discussion of the mathematics portion of the examination includes topics covered, test development, and sample questions. (MP)

This report focuses on the achievement in basic skill areas attained by disadvantaged students in compensatory activities. Areas reported on include corrective reading and mathematics. An overview of the report's purpose and methodologies indicates that reading and mathematics achievement data were collected for Title I participants on norm…

This document, the last volume of a four-part publication, describes the programs in basic skills in mathematics at the nine senior colleges and eight community colleges of the City University of New York (CUNY), updating surveys made in 1976. These programs are for students who do not meet CUNY's standard for minimum competency in mathematics, or…

TWO SUMMER 1965 HEAD START PROGRAMS, ONE IN BRONX RIVER AND ONE IN EAST TREMONT, NEW YORK, WERE SELECTED IN ORDER TO MEASURE THE CHANGES PRODUCED IN THE 36 PARTICIPANTS AS A RESULT OF THEIR HEAD START EXPERIENCE. AREAS MEASURED WERE (1) COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, (2) PATTERNS OF PLAY AND USE OF PLAY MATERIALS, AND (3) CHILDREN'S FANTASIES ABOUT THEIR…

Methods of providing public instruction to incarcerated school-aged youths are briefly addressed in this pamphlet. The legal responsibility of local school districts to locate, identify, and provide services to youths awaiting or serving sentence is outlined. Educational programs that are available for youths in jail and that directly parallel…

VARIOUS WAYS WERE EXPLORED BY WHICH PRIOR OR PREREQUISITE LEARNING AFFECTS THE LEARNING OF HIGHER ORDER (CRITERION) MATERIAL WHICH BUILDS ON PREVIOUS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS. THE INVESTIGATION WAS CONCERNED WITH THREE INSTRUCTIONAL VARIABLES (PACING, PRACTICE, AND NUMBER OF STAGES IN A LEARNING HIERARCHY) AND THEIR EFFECTS ON LEARNING RETENTION…