ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Open-Access Colleges Responsible for Greatest Gains in Graduation Rates. Policy Alert
Author: Doyle, William R.
Date: 2010-02-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Graduation Rate,Outcomes of Education,Academic Achievement,Access to Education,Open Enrollment,Educational Improvement,Achievement Gains,Educational Policy,Admission Criteria,College Admission,Educational Assessment,Educational Indicators

The largest gains in graduation rates over the past decade have been accomplished at open-access or nearly open-access colleges and universities. In addition, states could see even bigger increases if they directed their policies and supports toward improving graduation rates at these nonselective institutions. These findings from the author's research at Vanderbilt University challenge a commonly held notion that the best way to increase graduation rates is to make colleges more selective, since highly selective colleges tend to have higher rates of completion. This research finds that nonselective colleges and universities (those that accept at least 80% of applicants) are leading the way in improving graduation rates. These colleges and universities account for most of the increases in completion rates in 33 states. In 16 states, these institutions account for more than 75% of the increases. This discovery has broad implications for state policy, particularly under these stringent budgetary conditions. Open-access or nearly open-access colleges are typically where the greatest improvements in completion rates can be made at the lowest cost, partly because the cost per student is lower than at more selective research universities. However, nonselective colleges and universities are also most vulnerable to economic downturns, since they are funded primarily by state appropriations and tuition. (Contains 3 figures.)
School Achievement of Pupils from the Lower Strata in Public, Private Government-Dependent and Private Government-Independent Schools: A Cross-National Test of the Coleman-Hoffer Thesis
Author: Corten, Rense
Date: 2006-06-05
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Public Schools,Private Schools,Secondary School Students,Socioeconomic Status,Academic Achievement,Socioeconomic Influences,Low Income Groups,Student Characteristics,Institutional Characteristics,School Effectiveness,Social Capital,School Choice

We consider the question whether pupils from the lower social strata perform better in private government-dependent schools than in public or private-independent schools, using the PISA 2000 data on European high schools. In the eighty's, Coleman and Hoffer (1987) found in the USA that the performance of these pupils was better at religious schools than at comparable public schools. Dronkers and Robert (2003) found in PISA-data for 19 comparable countries that private government-dependent schools are more effective then comparable public schools, also after controlled for characteristics of pupils and parents and the social composition of the school. The main explanation appeared to be a better school climate in private government-dependent schools. Private independent schools were less effective than comparable public schools, but only after controlling for the social composition of the school. As a follow-up we now investigate, again with the PISA-data of these 19 countries, whether this positive effect of private government-dependent schools differs between pupils from different strata. We use various indicators to measure social strata: social, cultural and economic. We expect that the thesis of Coleman &amp; Hoffer does hold for private government-dependent schools, because in these 19 countries they are mostly religious schools, which have more opportunities to form functional communities and create social capital. But for private independent schools, which due to their commercial foundation are less often functional communities, this relation is not expected to hold. However, the results show that public and private schools have mostly the same effects for the same kind of pupils and thus mostly not favor one kind of pupils above another kind of pupils. But private government-dependent schools are slightly more effective for pupils with less cultural capital. However, private independent schools are also more effective for pupils from large families or low status families. (Contains 4 tables, 12 notes and a list of 25 Literature Resources .)
Western Undergraduate Exchange: Enrollment Report, Fall 2009
Author: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Tuition,Student Financial Aid,Student Exchange Programs,Regional Cooperation,Partnerships in Education,Out of State Students,Interstate Programs,Educational Indicators,College Outcomes Assessment,Enrollment Trends,Annual Reports,Migration Patterns,Enrollment Rate,Undergraduate Study,Statistical Distributions

The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is a regional tuition-reciprocity agreement that enables students from WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) states to enroll in participating two- and four-year public institutions at 150 percent of the enrolling institution's resident tuition. WUE has been operating for more than 20 years and is the largest program of its kind in the nation. Since the first WUE students were exchanged in 1988, to date, participating residents from WICHE states have benefited from significant savings on more than 273,400 annual tuition bills. And since WICHE began estimating student fiscal savings through WUE in 1999, the program has provided WICHE students and their parents discounts of a remarkable $1.1 billion dollars in tuition savings on nearly 210,000 annual tuition bills. A graph included in this report shows the tremendous growth of the program since its inception in 1988. This fall's WUE headcount demonstrates that WUE students know where the current and future job opportunities are. Their &quot;Top Ten&quot; majors are directly aligned with some of the West's most crucial workforce needs. They are healthcare, the biological and biomedical sciences, engineering, and business. (Contains 5 tables and 2 charts.)
Tuition and Fees in Public Higher Education in the West, 2009-2010. Detailed Tuition and Fees Tables
Author: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
Date: 2009-11-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Higher Education,Public Education,Institutions,Tuition,Fees,Community Colleges,Technical Institutes,Colleges,Classification

This annual report updates the tuition and fee prices published by all of the public higher education institutions in the WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) member states. It is the product of an annual survey administered to the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) offices in each state, with a couple of exceptions. There is no centralized coordinating or governing body for the two-year colleges in Arizona or for the technical institutes in South Dakota. Therefore, personnel at the individual institutions in those two states responded to this survey. Appendices include: (1) The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education; (2) Number of Public Four-Year Institutions by Carnegie Classification in the WICHE Region, 2009-10; (3) Number of Public Two-Year Institutions by State in the WICHE Region, 2009-10; (4) Procedure for Converting Current Dollars to Constant Dollars; (5) Methodology; (6) Mandatory Fees at Public Four-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region, 2009-10; (7) Mandatory Fees at Public Two-Year Institutions in the WICHE Region, 2009-10; and (8) Survey Instructions. (Contains 21 tables and 78 endnotes.) [This paper was prepared by the Office of Policy Analysis and Research.]
Squeeze Play 2010: Continued Public Anxiety on Cost, Harsher Judgments on How Colleges Are Run
Author: Immerwahr, John
Date: 2010-02-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Higher Education,National Surveys,Educational Attitudes,Public Opinion,Fees,Student Costs,Institutional Mission,Goal Orientation,Trend Analysis,Interviews,Telephone Surveys,Administrative Principles,Educational Policy,School Community Relationship

Six out of ten Americans now say that colleges today operate more like a business, focused more on the bottom line than on the educational experience of students. Further, the number of people who feel this way has increased by five percentage points in the last year alone and is up by eight percentage points since 2007. These are highlights from a series of national surveys tracking public attitudes on higher education, conducted by Public Agenda for the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. The current results are based on a survey of 1,031 Americans conducted in December 2009. These findings suggest that many Americans are becoming more skeptical about whether colleges and universities are doing all that they can to control costs and keep tuition affordable. It may also indicate that Americans will be increasingly less receptive to the argument that higher education  institutions need more money to continue to provide high-quality services. Despite the overall pessimism, this most recent survey also shows some areas where people remain optimistic. (Contains 6 footnotes. This report was produced with assistance from Amber Ott and Jonathan Rochkind.)
Addressing Adolescent Needs for Socialization in the Distance Learning Environment
Author: Dawidowicz, Paula M.
Date: 2000-01-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Independent Study,Distance Education,Interaction,Educational Environment,Internet,Computer Mediated Communication,Adolescents,Interpersonal Relationship,High School Students,Electronic Learning,Nontraditional Education,Blended Learning,Cooperative Learning,Socialization,Educational Technology

One important aspect of adolescent education, regardless of the learning environment, is learning acceptable human interaction, socialization styles, and cooperation mechanisms. However, when adolescent students attend cyber schools, they no longer receive those traditional opportunities to gain the human interactions required for such socialization during school. This analysis examined the importance of such learning experiences and then considered Utah's Electronic High School, a cyber program model that provides both independent learning and human interaction. This program's success lies in part in its hybrid requirement that students participate in local traditional programs along with cyber classes, so that they still acquire some socialization.
Do First-Year University Students Know What to Expect from Their First-Year Writing Intensive Course?
Author: O'Brien-Moran, Michael
Date: 2010-01-07
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Freshmen,Undergraduate Students,Writing (Composition),Writing Instruction,Expectation,Writing Processes,Research Skills,Metacognition,Transitional Programs

This study involved a one-time survey of first-year undergraduate students at a Canadian University to determine their expectations when beginning a writing intensive course (i.e., the so-called &quot;W&quot; course, which is required of all first-year undergraduates at the University of Manitoba.) In this study, we focused on the University's Introduction to University course, a three credit hour course designed to help students make the transition from high school to university. The course covers academic writing and research skills, and identifies ways for students to learn and study more efficiently. Of particular importance to our research, the course focuses on the process of developing mastery of the academic essay. The purpose of this study was to see what, if any, expectations first-year students have when taking a writing course. Our research question was: What are the expectations for composition instruction of first-year students enrolled in the University of Manitoba's Introduction to University course? Our results indicated that first-year students had very high expectations for the kinds of writing processes that would be taught in their course. It was surprising to find that the students expected to acquire declarative knowledge in areas like grammar and punctuation to the same degree that they expected to be taught to employ strategic thinking in their writing. The Survey of First-Year Students is appended. (Contains 1 table.)
Revenue-Generating Language Programs at Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions: Emerging Themes from a Documentation Analysis
Author: Eaton, Sarah Elaine
Date: 2008-05-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: English (Second Language),Foreign Countries,Income,Student Recruitment,Global Approach,Program Administration,Administrator Attitudes

This presentation identifies emerging themes in a study combining documentation analysis (Atkinson &amp; Coffey, 2004) and interviews that examine policy statements, promotional materials and various institutional documents from selected English as a Second Language (ESL) programs at one Canadian University. It looks at how and why ESL programs are perceived to be tools for revenue generation and some of the implications this has, both at the program and institutional levels. The philosophical, ethical and practical challenges of international marketing of educational programs that generate revenue are explored.
Behind Bars II: Substance Abuse and America's Prison Population
Author: Columbia Univ., New York, NY. Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.
Date: 2010-02-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Correctional Institutions,Mental Disorders,Drug Abuse,Costs,Institutionalized Persons,Substance Abuse,Crime Prevention,Rehabilitation,Drinking,Smoking,At Risk Persons,Family Influence,Children,Racial Differences,Access to Health Care,Barriers,Intervention,Law Enforcement,Recidivism,Individual Characteristics,Whites,African Americans,Hispanic Americans,American Indians,Minority Groups,Delinquency,Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS),Communicable Diseases,Fetal Alcohol Syndrome,Gender Differences,Addictive Behavior

People in the United States, though only five percent of the world's population, consume two-thirds of the world's illegal drugs. People in the United States, though only five percent of the world's population, incarcerate 25 percent of the world's prisoners. It is no coincidence that of the 2.3 million inmates in U.S. prisons, 65 percent--1.5 million--meet the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) medical criteria for alcohol or other drug abuse and addiction. Another 20 percent--458,000--even though they don't meet the DSM-IV medical criteria for alcohol and other drug abuse and addiction nevertheless were substance involved; i.e., were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs at the time of their offense, stole money to buy drugs, are substance abusers, violated the alcohol or drug laws, or share some combination of these characteristics. This report, uncovers these troubling facts and, even more disturbingly, finds that the situation has been getting worse since The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University issued its first report on this subject, &quot;Behind Bars&quot;, just over a decade ago. This new report constitutes the most exhaustive analysis ever undertaken to identify the extent to which alcohol and other drugs are implicated in the crimes and incarceration of America's prison population. This report, following more than a decade after CASA's initial analysis, finds that despite greater recognition of the problem and potential solutions, this country has allowed the population of substance-involved inmates crowding the prisons and jails--and the related costs and crimes--to increase. This report sets out steps the country can take to reduce crime and the taxpayer costs of prisons by addressing treatment needs of offenders while holding them accountable for their crimes. Appendices include: (1) Data Analysis Methodology; and (2) Proposed Guidelines for Providing Addiction Treatment in Prisons and Jails. (Contains 10 figures, 46 tables, and 456 notes.)
Australian Vocational Education and Training: Research Messages, 2009
Author: National Centre for Vocational Education Research
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Reference Materials - Directories/Catalogs
Subjects: Vocational Education,Foreign Countries,Educational Research,Educational Quality,Costs,Productivity,Job Skills,Supply and Demand,Adult Literacy,Numeracy,Low Income Groups,Problem Based Learning,Employment Potential,Instructional Innovation,Family Work Relationship,Higher Education,Welfare Services,Young Adults,Indigenous Populations,Competition,Vocational Education Teachers,Economic Climate,Apprenticeships,Educational Trends,Competency Based Education

In 2009 Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system, in common with so many other areas of public policy and the economy, was preoccupied by the effects of the global economic downturn and, like other sectors, sought to reposition itself to deal with the economic fallout, while anticipating its role in the recovery. Yet, as individuals look back over the year and review the National Centre for Vocational Education Research's (NCVER's) publications, many written before the financial crisis, they can see that the dominant issues are tenacious, whatever the economic climate. Fundamentally, they revolve around the role of VET in meeting skill needs, the quality of training and the costs of providing it, as well as the connection between skills, productivity and social wellbeing. Highlights from the work produced by NCVER staff or commissioned from external researchers are presented. This essay is structured around the five themes NCVER uses to organise its work, although using these themes for this purpose does not constitute a perfect classification tool, since much of the research tackles more than one theme. Where this is the case, the location of the report summary in this compilation is cross-referenced. In all, there were 42 reports and eight conference papers published. An author index is included. [For the &quot;Research Messages, 2008&quot;, see ED504322.]
Leading from the Middle: Mid-Level District Staff and Instructional Improvement
Author: Burch, Patricia
Date: 2004-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Central Office Administrators,Middle Management,Educational Change,Instructional Improvement,Public Education,School Districts,Urban Schools,Staff Role,Communities of Practice,Barriers

No silver bullets for improving achievement for all students exist. However, anyone whose paycheck comes from a school district is ultimately responsible for these students. "Leading From the Middle: Mid-Level District Staff and Instructional Improvement," the first in a series of reports drawn from a larger, qualitative study of district/school interactions, is significant new research that looks at the critical leadership role that mid-level central office staff play in implementing district reforms. While volumes have been written about the important leadership roles of superintendents and their instructional initiatives, this research examines leadership at the intersection between schools and districts. This report suggests that at a time when schools and districts have come under increasing pressure to demonstrate improvements with diminishing resources for public education, mid-level central office staff people represent an important link in the exchanges upon which improvements in teaching and learning so clearly depend. Appendices include: (1) District Demographics 2001-2002; and (2) Research Design and Methodology. (Contains 4 tables and 4 footnotes.) [For the executive summary, see ED494450.]
Maryland Report Card: 2008 Performance Report. State and School Systems
Author: Maryland State Department of Education
Date: 2008-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Federal Legislation,Science Achievement,Educational Improvement,Federal Programs,School Districts,Educational Indicators,Educational Assessment,Academic Records,Teacher Qualifications,Attendance Patterns,Language Proficiency,Mathematics Achievement,Reading Achievement,Accountability,Performance

This paper presents the 2008 Maryland School Performance Report. It shows the academic performance results of the State and its 24 school systems. This report includes the results from the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) given in spring 2008, information about the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) measures required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and information about the credentials of Maryland teachers. Maryland is required by NCLB to assess reading, math, and science achievement at the elementary, middle and high school levels to show how well children are learning so parents and educators can be sure every child has the opportunity to succeed. Maryland fulfills NCLB by reporting scores on the MSA and the High School Assessment (HSA) to the U. S. Department of Education. Each local school system is also required to produce a similar report with information on each of its schools. Performances of school systems and schools are measured against specific annual targets required by NCLB. The 2008 data, first released on Maryland State Department of Education's (MSDE's) web site at MdReportCard.org in June 2008, includes disaggregated data reported by gender and race/ethnicity if five or more students are included in one of the following categories: American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, African American, White (not of Hispanic origin) and Hispanic. Performance data are also reported when five or more students are in the following categories: Limited English Proficient, Free/Reduced Price Meals (FARMS), Special Education, and Migrant. These categories are defined on the web site. Each student's performance is graded as Basic (lowest level), Proficient, or Advanced (highest level).
The Impact of Structure on Word Meaning and Fill-in-The-Blank Tests Procedures on Short-Term and Long-Term Retention of Vocabulary Items
Author: Fazeli, Seyed Hossein
Date: 2009-10-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Vocabulary,Semantics,Language Tests,Cloze Procedure,Vocabulary Development,Retention (Psychology),Undergraduate Students

The purpose of research described in the current study to investigate the impact of structure knowing on two types of test, i.e. word-meaning test and fill-in-the-blank test, their correlation and procedures on both short-term and long-term retention of vocabulary items. The importance of the present study, to test the condition that learners are not allowed to use guess strategy or randomly answer the tests and they should give reason semantically for their answer, otherwise their answer, even is correct, is not scored. The population for subject recruitment was all undergraduate students from second semester at large university in Iran (both male and female) that study English as a compulsory paper. In Iran, English is taught as a foreign language. (Contains 2 tables.)