Although special education and its legal provisions under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) were designed to support all children with disabilities, it has created a litigious and bureaucratic environment that further marginalizes disabled and labeled children of color and their families. Falling short of a collaborative…

This report presents key findings from "Learning in the Fast Lane: The Past, Present, and Future of Advanced Placement," by Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Andrew E. Scanlan, and published by Princeton University Press in 2019. American education has long been plagued by excellence gaps among the young people who make it into the highest levels…

Absent any federal requirement to monitor the performance of student subgroups, a significant number of states have implemented accountability systems that either ignore the performance of these students or provide only minimal oversight. As Congress moves forward with reauthorizing ESEA, it must codify the 2008 high school graduation rate…

Sponsored by the Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP), the second edition of this groundbreaking handbook assembles in one place the existing research-based knowledge in education finance and policy, with particular attention to elementary and secondary education. Chapters from the first edition have been fully updated and revised…

This article reports on a Texas charter school network which aims to expand the ranks of disadvantaged students who graduate, not just from high school, but from college as well. To earn a high school diploma, each student at YES (short for Youth Engaged in Service) Prep Public Schools, a growing Houston-area network of charters that predominantly…

Since the introduction of the Coleman Report (1966), the focus on closing the achievement gap has been a critical component of educational policy for political leaders and field research by educators. The economic crisis which California and the nation at large currently face creates a challenging situation in attempting to narrow the gap.…

This document presents case study profiles from a study that examined three aspects of educational time: (1) quantity of time in school; (2) quality of time in school; and (3) students' use of out-of-school time. Data were derived from case studies of 14 sites that experimented with different ways of allocating time as a cornerstone of efforts to…

Ascribes the increase in corporate funding of public schools to the increase in the number of small, locally based programs. Focuses on the Join-A-School program and the mutual benefits reaped from such corporation-school partnerships. While recommending these partnerships, insists on Washington's ultimate responsibility for improving public…

This digest addresses the special needs of gifted urban minority students in the selection of postsecondary career and educational options. Noted is the frequent lack of family encouragement in this population toward higher education and career achievement. Suggestions are offered for teachers, students, counselors, administrators, and parents.…

As part of the broader policy debate on how to reform K-12 education, particularly high schools, basic questions about career and technical education are on the table. "Remaking Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century" begins with a summary of what researchers know--and do not know--about the value of high school…

This directory contains a list of public and other nonprofit private elementary and secondary schools designated as having a high concentration of students from low-income families and thus qualifying as teaching sites for teachers with Federal Perkins Loans and National Direct Student Loans who may be eligible to have their payments canceled or…

Research has established that small schools create intimate learning communities where students can be encouraged by caring adults, reduce student alienation, reduce negative effects of low socioeconomic status, and encourage teachers to help students succeed. Strategies for creating small learning communities within large schools and findings on…

The Hispanic Policy Development Project (HPDP) and the National Coalition for Advocates for Students (NCAS) launched separate inquiries into how American public education could be improved without excluding poor, minority, female, and handicapped youngsters. HPDP reported on the performance of Hispanic students in inner-city high schools in…

Based on findings from the "High School and Beyond" (HS&B) national longitudinal study conducted in 1980, an agenda is suggested for decision making within schools that serve Hispanic children. This agenda is based on the needs and attitudes of the children and includes the following: (1) an emphasis on human relations of the school…

The problems of the British educational system are viewed from an American perspective. The author compares present educational problems and prospects in Britain and the U.S., and describes Britain's policies on enrollment decline, nursery schools, disadvantaged children, secondary school organization, curriculum, examinations, teacher education,…