This paper is the third in a series exploring the impact of changing proportions of youth in our society. It describes an empirical test of the assertion that there is delay between population changes and societal response, even when those population changes are known in advance. For this study the social institution of schools was examined.…

The impact of the Middle Income Student Assistance Act (MISAA) program was evaluated through analysis of financial aid to cohorts of students before and after MISAA, a longitudinal examination of a sample of students before and after its enactment, and a macro-level analysis of the effect of MISAA on the relationship between income and aid. The…

A description of the University of Southern California (USC) faculty model and some of the results obtained from using the model are presented. The model traces faculty cohorts from 1974 to 1984, under given policies of hiring, tenure, promotion, and retirement. The model takes into account resignations, deaths, anticipated enrollments, and costs.…

Tests for mean differences on latent constructs using the LISREL approach to multigroup structural-equation modeling were demonstrated for High School and Beyond data concerning the sophomore cohort. Senior year achievement test scores for 3,700 public and 300 Catholic school students were compared after controlling for background and sophomore…

Data available from implementations of the Reading Recovery program in the United States are summarized for nature of the reading tasks, student achievement, cost effectiveness, and teacher effectiveness and retention. Reading Recovery has drawn attention to the needs and potentials of low-income students and effective instructional elements. (SLD)

Investigated how family processes influence high school student dropout behavior. Used a sample of 114 dropouts from 1 California high school, 48 of whom were matched to similarly profiled continuing students. Identified factors that explain students' dropout decisions: permissive parenting, negative parental reactions to grades, excessive…

Investigation of the roles of pubertal timing and pubertal status on school achievement for 115 boys and 137 girls followed through grades 6, 7, and 8 indicates that late-maturing boys have the lowest school achievement, whereas late-maturing girls have the highest. Followups at grade 12 indicate few long-term effects. (SLD)

Russian society has become more stabilized since the tempestuous 1990s. The social and economic space has been entered by a generation that is counting on a successful career. How justified are these expectations? What can it realistically hope for? What are the rules that it will have to play by to build a career? To what extent do these rules…

Newly adopted objectives for improving Arizona graduate educational efforts for student teachers in remote, rural areas are presented, specifically regarding the increased use of current information technology resources, such as television and computer modem courses. Current options as well as future possibilities are considered, such as…

This study of high school sophomores in 1980 and 1990 compares the experiences of students in the two cohorts, identifying changes in in-school and out-of-school activities, academic achievement, self-concept, values, plans, and aspirations. Similarities and differences between the two groups are documented using data from the National Education…

Three schools in the Kansas City, Missouri, School District have operated for 5 years as Investigative Learning Magnet Schools (ILMS). The ILMS emphasize such student outcomes as inquiry, problem solving, critical thinking, and observation skills, and have a curricular focus on science, math, and computer skills. This report examines the ILMS'…

A group of 442 New York district jurisdictions (which are overwhelmingly rural but have some "metropolitan" county locations) with 2,500 or fewer pupils are subdivided by size (1,100 or fewer pupils, 210 rural or metropolitan sites; 1,100-2,500 pupils, 212 rural or metropolitan sites; and 20 small city or metropolitan sites of 2,500 or…

Although it is now widely recognized that the middle years are a time of development and transition rather than of stasis followed by decline, existing literature tends to portray middle-aged women as generally unattractive, uninteresting, unintelligent and as dependent "labels" rather than persons in the process of growth. To gain a greater…

The two exploratory studies presented in this research report used multilevel data obtained in the 1983-84 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) to investigate the relationship between minimum competency testing (MCT) programs and student reading proficiency. A "school effects" paradigm was used in Study 1 to assess the effect…

This paper reports the findings of an investigation of the effects of school organization and ability grouping on students' academic achievements in Great Britain. Data for the study came from the National Child Development Study (NCDS) conducted by the National Children's Bureau (NCB) of London. The NCDS surveyed virtually every child born in…