Data from Berea College, which has a full-tuition subsidy and large room/board subsidies, were used to examine low college graduation rate of low-income students. The high attrition rate despite subsidies suggests that the cause is unrelated to costs and may be due to poor precollege educational opportunities or noncost-related difficulties in…

The National Assessment of Vocational Education (NAVE) was charged with evaluating the status of vocational education and the impact of Perkins III. After more than 3 years of study NAVE finds that: (1) Vocational education has important short- and medium-run earning benefits for most students at both the secondary and postsecondary levels, and…

Current research and literature--most either psychological or sociological--on the college student is discussed. The monocultural focus of most research and the lack of process models to guide implementation of theory are described. (Author/MLW)

Using College Board file information and a follow-up of 1981 high school graduates, the educational plans, educational outcomes, and other characteristics of students with different combinations of family incomes and test scores were compared in a study of the influence of those factors on educational outcomes. (MSE)

This study explored relationships between black-white differences in educational achievement and black-white differences in various educational and economic outcomes. Three data sets examined the extent to which black-white differences in labor market outcomes, in educational attainment, and in mathematics and reading achievement were present for…

Examines the rate of student transfer from community colleges to four-year colleges as measured by the Transfer Assembly project. Indicates that 22.6% of students who began their postsecondary education in community colleges and completed at least four courses there enrolled in a university within four years. (MAB)

Argues that assessment, outcomes measurement, and prediction of attrition are separate but highly interrelated phenomena, with none meaningfully understood without reference to the other two. Suggests that the assessment process be the initial exercise, followed by periodic outcomes measurement used in conjunction with the assessment data to…

In responding to internal and external pressures for accountability in higher education, especially in the areas of improved learning outcomes and student success, IT leaders may soon become critical partners with academic and student affairs. IT can help answer this call for accountability through "academic analytics," which is emerging…

This report describes the effects of Project Graduation Really Achieves Dreams (GRAD) on student progress at three high schools in Houston (the initiative's original site) and at high schools in two other school districts (Columbus, Ohio, and Atlanta, Georgia). MDRC--a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization--conducted a third-party…

This paper presents findings of a 6-year study exploring factors contributing to postsecondary school attendance or nonattendance by youth with disabilities based on data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study of Special Education Students (NLTS) for 8,000 students, ages 13 through 21, with disabilities. Factors found to be related to…

Attitudes of a panel of 124 young adults in the Corner Brook (Newfoundland) area on a variety of politically relevant topics were examined over a two-year period to measure the possible effects of a university education. Generally, those who attended college did not change significantly in their attitudes, compared with high school graduates who…

Recent changes in national and state mathematics standards have increased the level of algebraic thinking taught in younger grades. These changes have prompted more inclusive curriculum designs that open the opportunity to enroll in advanced mathematics courses at younger ages. Of particular interest to this study is the access to eighth-grade…

The influence of the first year of college on the development of critical thinking was assessed. Matched groups of students who attended and who did not attend college were compared on the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal over a 1 year period. Secondary school level of thinking and other covariates (e.g., aptitude, socioeconomic status,…

Summary findings are presented on research about the impact of college in order to identify key issues related to understanding the lives of individual students. Five perspectives are offered: Bowen's outcomes and goals; Feldman and Newcomb's student personality, values, and beliefs; Pace's achievement testing; Astin's longitudinal studies; and…

Current school finance policy in Nebraska rests on the premise that higher costs due to small school size should not be subsidized by state funds unless there is no consolidation alternative. This report aims to reframe the school size debate by demonstrating the excellent performance of Nebraska's small schools in high school completion and…