The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) evaluated the writing ability of American students in 1974, 1979, and 1984. Data from 95,000 students were examined for trends over this 10-year period. Writing tasks, including informative, persuasive, and literary or imaginative writing were administered to national samples of students aged…

This report presents information about enrollment trends, student achievement, graduation rates, the teaching force, and school finances for elementary and secondary schools and higher education in New York State for the 1986-87 school year. Most of the data for elementary and secondary schools were drawn from the Basic Educational Data System…

A free mind is the first step in the pursuit of liberty, but African Americans have been hampered in that pursuit by both the Eurocentric dominant culture and by the lack of consensus among blacks on the nature and goals of black education. Conflicting trends in the history of black education include the following: (1) opposing Eurocentric and…

Characteristics of Blacks, four Hispanic groups, and low/high socioeconomic status Whites are examined with attention to their access to higher education. The data source is the first followup of 1980 high school seniors from the "High School and Beyond" (HS&B) survey. The four Hispanic groups are Mexican Americans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and…

A study examined the patterns of employment in the public sector as compared to the private, possible changes in that pattern in the last decade, and implications for educational policy. By using the human capital concept (employment patterns depend on productivity differences in individuals) and labor market segmentation analysis, the following…

WRITTEN FROM THE STANDPOINT OF THE SOCIOLOGIST OR SOCIAL SCIENTIST, THIS BOOK REPORTS DATA OBTAINED FROM STATISTICAL RESEARCH ON MENTAL RETARDATES. ITS CHIEF PURPOSE IS THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF THE MENTALLY RETARDED AND PROVISIONS MADE FOR THEM IN THE UNITED STATES. DISCUSSION OF THE GENERAL CONDITION COVERS DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION, ETIOLOGY,…

Computer-assisted instructional (CAI) lessons were incorporated as instructional support for a one-semester course in occupational information for 122 eighth graders at a selected middle school in the Dallas, Texas, Independent School District to field-test five modules (fifteen color videotapes and fifteen CAI lessons) focusing on career…

Data reported in this paper are drawn from The American College Testing Program (ACT) files of student records collected over the five year period from 1970-71 to 1974-75 through administration of the ACT Assessment Program. The data from 1970-71 and 1971-72 represent a five percent random sample and the data from 1972-73, 1973-74, and 1974-75, a…

William Julius Wilson's "The Truly Disadvantaged" blames the rise in the Black urban underclass on the rapid, systemic, and structural changes in the economy in the 1970s, which left Black unemployment at a spectacularly high rate. His insights should be acknowledged and his recommendations heeded. (BJV)

This study used data for a representative sample of 8th graders from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988. The intent was to (1) compare student's dropout status with variables such as demographics, academic and economic factors, limited English proficiency status, and other risk factors of dropping out, (2) distinguish factors…

This report contains six tables of summary statistics for the public schools of New York State, including schools in New York City. The public schools of New York served 2,637,745 students as of February 1994. Information about these students, their teachers, and the schools they attended, is presented in the following tables: (1) District type;…

This sixth annual edition of the West Virginia Kids Count data book examines county and statewide trends in the well-being of West Virginia's children, focusing on brain development and educational initiatives for children from birth to 3 years of age. The statistical portrait is based on 11 well-being indicators: (1) percent low birthweight…

This national study of doctoral students examined various components of human capital and their effects upon doctoral students' experiences and achievement. Participants were 13,160 graduate students in 11 fields from 21 universities, including all African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and Native American students, 300 white…

This Kids Count factbook presents statistical data and examines trends for 10 indicators of children's well-being in Georgia. The indicators are: (1) low birthweight babies; (2) infant mortality; (3) child deaths; (4) teen deaths by accident, homicide, and suicide; (5) juvenile arrests; (6) reading and math scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills;…

The opportunity and right to obtain a free public education provides the opportunity for all Americans to achieve success socially, financially, and professionally. The public education system has endured decades of changes as it attempts to address social, cultural, and academic issues that arise as the nation evolves. The public education system…