Project Discovery II was based on a previous highly successful Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) project called Project Discovery. Teams of high school teachers and college faculty in the project planned and implemented an integrated, discovery based curriculum with groups of block-programmed students in New York City…

This volume contains three reports -- the primary report which reviews the programs offered, students served, and operational issues facing Upward Bound projects -- and two supporting documents, "Grantee Survey Report" and "A Report on Upward Bound Target Schools." Upward Bound is a federally supported program providing…

This brochure summarizes results of a study of "best practices" in the Student Support Services program (SSS), a federal program intended to increase the college retention and graduation rates of participants who are the first-generation in their families to attend college, are disadvantaged, or are disabled. To identify best practices,…

In 1999, the U.S. Department of Education funded 21 state and 164 college and middle school partnership grants for Project GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), which encourages disadvantaged youth to prepare for college. As part of its grant, Fairmont State College (West Virginia) surveyed parents and…

The GEAR UP Austin: Impacting Lives program serves a cohort of approximately 3,369 seventh graders from 10 Austin Independent School District (AISD) middle schools and 28 seventh graders from the Texas Empowerment Academy charter school. More than half of these students come from low-income households, and many are considered at risk. This…

Two cases of planned curriculum change are examined to illustrate the limits and possibilities of curriculum reform. One case used upgraded mathematics curriculum for low achieving, urban, U.S. secondary students. The other examined a national curricular reform in Scotland where secondary curricula and national examinations were closely aligned.…

Thirty-four gifted students from economically disadvantaged high schools who attended a college/career counseling program were compared to 16 gifted economically advantaged students who attended a private university summer program. Groups were similar in their motivation to attend college and career readiness. At three-year follow-up, more…

The trend toward increasing numbers of poorly prepared, high-risk college students requires a variety of strategies, including strengthened school-college collaboration and networking, taking a holistic approach to retention, attention to the effectiveness of traditional teaching methods, and hiring faculty committed to great teaching. (MSE)

Discusses and illustrates some of the systemic obstacles that youth, particularly urban African-American and Latino youth, confront, focusing on the dynamics of Puerto Rican families and youth. Information on health and housing; elementary school, secondary school, and higher education; and unemployment and the labor force is presented. (SLD)

Argues that studies of socioeconomic stratification in Papua New Guinea have ignored or dismissed gender as a source of inequality. Educational opportunity is the key to wealth and political power. Data from censuses, fieldwork, and the literature show that rural women are the most disadvantaged group in Papua New Guinea. (SLD)

The literature suggests that the U.S. system of higher education has developed and maintained conservative norms that govern behavior in the classroom and discourage open dialog by dictating what is and is not appropriate to discuss in academic settings. The question is raised of the appropriateness of these norms. Classroom dialog was analyzed to…

This is the fourth edition of the Spanish version of the "Mini-Digest of Education Statistics," a publication designed to present, in compact form, statistical information about education in the United States from kindergarten through graduate school. Data are derived from many sources, but unless it is stated to the contrary,…

Intended for gifted students and their parents from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, this monograph provides guidance on preparing for college, including the college search process, college application, and applying for financial aid. Sections of the guide address: (1) self-awareness (the essential starting point); (2) academic awareness…

The role of race and ethnicity in predicting who becomes a teacher was the subject of a study that used data from the sophomore cohort of the High School and Beyond study, a longitudinal survey that interviewed participants in 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, and 1992. The focus was on the impact of academic skills into entry into teaching. Four…

A 2-year study of 206 college students at an urban research university in a southern state examined personal, environmental, academic, and non-academic predictors of: (1) course grade performance; and (2) academic retention. Of particular interest were "high-risk" or "disadvantaged" students and how they compensated for their…