This paper takes a critical conceptual look at education policy and practice from the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 to the present. The paper examines the roots of current United States educational policies, and shows that, in some cases, well-intentioned efforts have had a negative impact on vulnerable populations…

Mathematics and science course graduation requirement (CGR) increases in the 1980s and 1990s might have had both intended and unintended consequences. Using logistic regression with Census and American Community Survey (ACS) data (n = 2,892,444), we modeled CGR exposure on (a) high school dropout, (b) beginning college, and (c) obtaining any…

This study was an effort to fill a gap in the research about why there are higher drop-out rates for students in online classrooms than students in traditional classrooms. Educators and administrators at online higher education institutions need information with which to address drop-out rates because the decreased number of completed online…

Schools face the dilemma of transforming both the trend of students dropping out of school and the associated negative socioeconomic outcomes into a positive path of persistence and school completion. Despite ongoing efforts of the federal and state government, as well as those of the local school districts, this problem continues to burden the…

There has been a wealth of research conducted on the national epidemic of high school dropouts spanning several decades. It is estimated that the class of 2009 cost the nation $335 billion in lost wages, taxes and productivity over their lifetimes (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2009). The citizenry of the country suffers not only because of…

This study examines non-completion of Year 12 at school for a nationally representative sample of young people who were 15 years old and still attending school in 2003. The study explores relationships between non-completion and selected socio-demographic and school-related factors, and changes in rates of school non-completion from the early…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of environmental conditions of adult literacy and demographics prevalent during infancy and early childhood on mathematics and language arts literacy scores on eighth grade achievement tests. This study collected published scores for eighth grade math and language literacy from public schools…

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DROPOUTS AND ADULT ILLITERATES IN 131 OF THE LARGEST CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES WERE COMPARED TO SEE IF THESE DIFFERENCES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH SELECTED FEATURES OF THE LOCAL ECONOMIES AND SOCIAL STRUCTURES. AS A PART OF THE STUDY, A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS WAS MADE OF THE EFFECTS OF VARIOUS PROGRAMS TO PREVENT OR TO…

RESEARCH WAS DIRECTED TOWARD ANSWERING THE FOLLOWING THREE QUESTIONS--(1) WHO IS NOT GOING TO COLLEGE AND WHO IS LIKELY TO GO IN THE FUTURE, (2) WHAT MAY BE THE COLLEGE ENROLLMENT BY 1975, AND (3) TO WHAT EXTENT DOES MODERN TECHNOLOGY REQUIRE INCREASED EDUCATION ON THE PART OF THE WORKERS. ALL ANALYSES WERE BASED ON DATA ALREADY COLLECTED BY THE…

This report provides statistical information on the characteristics of students who dropped out of North Carolina public schools during the 1992-93 academic year. Statistical data are provided for each of the state's local education agencies in the areas of number of dropouts and dropout rates, as well as demographic data and dropout comparisons…

Basic background information on college student attrition research studies is provided. This paper is divided into nine components that were prominent in the existing literature: (1) higher education and the concern for attrition; (2) factors involved in college student attrition; (3) demographic factors involved in college student attrition; (4)…

The decade of the 1980s saw great change in the educational system. This report examines the changing demographics of high school students over the last decade and investigates the impact that these changes may have had on high school dropout rates. Specifically, the study examined the changing nature of the high school population during the last…

This report provides information on 12 indicators of child and adolescent health, education, and economic status in West Virginia at the state and county level. The report includes a state profile, a minority profile, and 55 county profiles. Each of the indicators is discussed on a state-wide basis. The bulk of the report consists of 1-page county…

This book provides a national and state-by-state (including the District of Columbia) compilation of benchmarks of the educational, social, economic, and physical well-being of children in the United States. Ten indicators of children's well-being are taken from government sources: (1) percent low birth-weight babies; (2) infant mortality rate;…