While there is scant evidence that standardized test results (SAT/ACT) predict college success, these scores can act as barriers to college admissions and honors programs, particularly for students in underserved communities. This study examines the impact of transitioning from an honors admission framework--in which standardized tests are a key…

Social work programs in the United States (N = 74) were investigated to determine strategies used for recruiting and retaining MSW students of color. Most schools had student populations exceeding 25,000 and combined BSW, MSW, and PhD programs. Data were collected using a Graduate Recruitment and Retention Scale with corresponding and acceptably…

This study analyzed high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) enrollments in Illinois, with comparisons to national data when possible, by career cluster and pathway and with respect to gender and racial/ethnic makeup of students. Enrollment patterns in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) CTE programming were emphasized.…

Background: We compared moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) and inactivity levels among fifth and sixth graders during school hours according to school-level race/ethnicity and income attributes to inform school-based obesity interventions in Illinois Suburban Cook County (SCC). Methods: Fifth- and sixth-grade students…

This article examines three interlinked problems facing public schools today: how to recruit, retain, and pay our teachers. The article begins with an overview of the current situation in the United States, paying particular attention to schools in areas where minorities are the majority. It goes on to examine some of the causes of teacher…

A four-year college degree increases a student's employment prospects and earning potential. Given this importance, it is not surprising that 75 percent of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) high school students aspire to obtain at least a four-year college degree. Yet, prior research showed that few achieved this goal: a 2006 University of Chicago…

For more than 30 years, underrepresentation of certain racial, cultural, and income groups in gifted and talented programs has been documented as a serious problem. Not only does this issue make gifted programs appear as if they are designed solely for upper class, dominant-culture individuals, but it also means that talented students from diverse…

This paper focuses on issues of providing access to higher education for the Latino community, especially in the state of Illinois. In Illinois, as in other states, Hispanic representation in higher education continues to lag, and Latinos are less likely than other minorities to attend or graduate from college. Northeastern Illinois University…

Provides a list of traditional and nontraditional services and programs offered by Illinois public libraries to special populations, including educationally, culturally, and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups; ethnic minority groups; illiterates; the elderly; visually impaired; hearing impaired; emotionally disabled; and residents of state,…

The 21 essays of this book discuss strategies for implementing multicultural education at the higher education level, especially in Illinois. Following a statement on multicultural education by former Senator Carol Moseley-Braun and an introduction by the text's editors (J. Q. Adams and Janice R. Welsch), the papers are: "Multicultural…

This report provides descriptive data and analyses of information concerning Illinois public school gifted education programs, gathered via the fiscal year 1992 Gifted Education Program Evaluation Report. The report describes the student population, program type and content, staff training, and funding during school year 1991-92. Highlights of the…

This report uses figures from the 1990 Census to present a detailed and comprehensive picture of the changes that occurred in the economic standing of women and minorities during the 1970s and 1980s in the six-county Chicago (Illinois) metropolitan area. The terms African American, Asian American, Latino, and White are used to describe the city's…

In Illinois, as in other states, minorities, Blacks and Hispanics in particular, are under-represented in higher education. The historically low rates of Black and Hispanic participation in higher education raise equity and labor supply issues. This report supplements the annual report of the Illinois Board of Higher Education and provides further…

This research report examines 10-year results of the Illinois Valedictorian Project, a program that has followed 81 high-achieving high school valedictorians for 10 years following their high school graduation. It describes the study's sampling and study methods; presents the findings from the first 5 years and the status of the study group at…

Illinois birth records in 1985 provide information about the educational levels of black, white, and Hispanic-American adolescents aged 15 to 19 years having first and second births. Age and ethnic differences exist in the relationship of first and second births to educational levels of young parents. (SLD)