Researchers have found that middle school students undergo developmental changes that require unique educational structures and support. As a result, experts have suggested a number of specific strategies for organizing middle schools in order to best meet students' needs. This Information Capsule summarizes middle school redesign initiatives that…

The purpose of the study was to explore the effectiveness of a brief, feasible, and cost-effective universal screener for kindergarten readiness. The study examined whether teacher ratings of kindergarteners' academic, behavioral, and overall readiness at the beginning of the year were predictive of academic, emotional, and behavioral outcomes at…

The college sophomore year is considered a difficult year for many students. College sophomores tend to experience the least amount of attention and support during a time when they are pursuing academic and personal goals. When these students encounter challenges that coincide with a limited amount of assistance with decision making, they can…

Using longitudinal student data from 15 four-year (n = 3,072) and 13 (n = 788) two-year postsecondary institutions, the authors tested the effects of interest-major congruence, motivation, and 1st-year academic performance on timely degree completion. Findings suggest that interest-major congruence has a direct effect on timely degree completion…

The United States has experienced unrivaled success in attracting international students for higher education studies. Saudi Arabia has sponsored students for study in the United States since 1950, with the number of students on scholarship varying according to the fluctuation in oil prices. The cultures of Saudi Arabia and the United States…

One of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes in the history of the United States ripped through the southeast Missouri town of Joplin on May 22, 2011. As it traveled along a 13-mile path it claimed 161 lives and caused more than $151 million in damages. Ten schools were damaged or destroyed and Joplin High School was a total loss. Just 48…

This study provides a quantitative approach to analyzing college students' levels of self-actualization. Specifically, it addresses the distinction between students from non-rural and rural hometowns relative to their level of self-actualization. Students from five public state schools, in one Midwestern state, were surveyed. Self-actualization…

This study compared the responses of 100 randomly selected students from a rural and an urban Missouri community-junior college campus. A stressful situation was defined as any one that causes the student to be concerned, anxious, or uncomfortable. Respondents were to indicate for each of 25 items whether certain situations caused them great,…

Compares high-school dropout rates for boys versus girls in 45 schools with grade spans of 7-12, 9-12, or 10-12. For all three grade spans, boys had higher dropout rates than girls. Highest rates were in the 10-12 grade span; the lowest were in 7-12 districts. (Contains 13 references.) (MLH)

A comparison of two groups of urban area junior college transfer students who attended local urban campuses of the University of Missouri and of two other groups who transferred to the Columbia branch of the University of Missouri was the subject of this study. The comparison was made in regard to the question of whether or not urban area junior…

Residence life programs play a key role in recruiting students, helping them make a successful transition to a new institution, and in retaining them, whether students are enrolling for the first time, transferring from another institution, or entering graduate school. Chapters in this book address theories of learning and development, new…

The purpose of this Handbook is to provide the user with the information needed to develop a program similar to the Providence Educational Center (PEC) in his or her community. As an alternative to incarceration in a training school, the PEC in St. Louis, Missouri provides intensive remedial education and counseling to adjudicated delinquents.…

This study was an attempt to determine if Black educationally and economically disadvantaged freshman students could increase their likelihood of success in college through an enriched summer program and if their prior experience with White persons had any effect on the attainment of these goals. Sixty seven socio-economically disadvantaged Black…

This document includes summaries of the annual evaluations of the five major programs in St. Louis funded under Title I of the 1965 Elementary Secondary Education Act. The general purposes of the Reading Improvement Teams program were to improve the reading skills of the children with the greatest reading problems in the Title I schools and to…