The report also shows that smoking rates among adolescents declined slightly in 1998, reversing a gradual increase since 1992. But not all the news was good. Ten federal agencies, including the departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice, make up the group that released the report last month. A recent report seeks to help policymakers and school administrators sort out their best options for educating students who speak a language other than English. While political and ideological battles continue to rage over whether such students should be taught through bilingual education or English-immersion programs, the report emphasizes that no single approach or program model works best for all students in all communities.
Many different approaches can be successful when implemented well.
The 44-page report examines program models with an eye toward the resources and local conditions needed for each. Researchers point to pessimism about the institution of marriage and an increased acceptance of a variety of lifestyles in explaining why marriage has become less stable in the United States. Against that backdrop, the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University released survey results this summer that shed light on American adolescents' attitudes toward marriage. Project researchers surveyed 6,000 high school seniors between 1991 and 1995. About 30 percent of the girls and 40 percent of the boys surveyed agreed that most people would have fuller and happier lives if they chose to get married rather than stay single.