Among the first to demonstrate that school counselors have a positive impact on student outcomes that is both quantifiable and statistically significant, this study provides a powerful tool for counselor advocacy efforts. Using nationally representative, longitudinal data collected by the US Department of Education, findings show that high school…

As educators and service providers in urban schools encourage student college going at higher rates than ever, policy and practice on school improvement discourses would benefit from incorporating students' perspectives underlying family-based, "college-going dilemmas" that frame their college preparation. This qualitative article…

A national sample of students with disabilities and their nondisabled peers in rural high schools responded to a survey about their postsecondary plans and how they were preparing for them. The study included 3,318 11th- and 12th-grade students from 73 randomly selected schools. Findings indicate that 78.5% of students with disabilities and 90.7%…

The purpose of this study is to identify the important constructs and their key indicators that are to be included on an instrument developed to measure the engineering design process and outcome of students in high schools that use the Project Lead the Way and Engineering by Design curriculums. Several pre-engineering curriculums are used in high…

In California, the typical college-prep course sequence in math includes Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. Students advance through these courses at different rates. A number of students proceed at a quick pace, with some completing Algebra II by the end of 10th grade and a few even earlier. At the other end of the spectrum, some students…

This study reports the preliminary results from a field test of the College-readiness Performance Assessment System (C-PAS), a large-scale, 6th-12th grade criterion-referenced assessment system that utilizes classroom-embedded performance tasks to measure student progress toward the development of key cognitive skills associated with success in…

For the first time in the history of American education, educators and policymakers are setting their sights on reaching the goal of preparing all students graduating from high school to meet the requirements of postsecondary education, professional careers and effective citizenship. The 2004 report, "Ready or Not: Creating a High School…

Now progressing into its fourth year, Learning Clicks is an interactive, dynamic, and informative program to help students in Grades 9-12 learn about the importance, long-term benefits, and opportunities of post-secondary education. This program also serves as a portal to provide students with the necessary information to assist in planning and…