This essay outlines several ways in which educators might better prepare young people of all backgrounds to understand, enter, and eventually act upon the changing economic landscape. The contributors to this article, which presents perspectives on social class and education in the United States, suggest that one might learn some lessons from the examples of those who have already made the journey. The work collected in this article also suggests intriguing new directions for educating poor and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Working Class, Social Differences, Social Class, Access to Education, Education Work...
The "achievement gap" is a well-documented problem in schools. Evidence of an academic performance problem requires that educators respond quickly and differently to signs of academic failure. As the lessons of the achievement gap suggest that historical decisions about when to intervene with performance support are flawed, performance support interventions must be provided much sooner than they have been considered in the past. Recent educational innovations, such as differentiated...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academic Failure, Academic Achievement, Educational Innovation, Appropriate...
A 2005 MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures New Face of Work Survey found that many baby boomers are eager to make career changes that can launch a new chapter in their working lives while they make social contribution. The survey found that 50 percent of Americans age 50 to 70 want jobs that contribute to the greater good. It found that more than 53 percent of this population plan to work in retirement because they need continued income, and they want greater flexibility in retirement jobs....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Career Change, Retirement, Community Colleges, Baby Boomers, Access to Education,...
Many students of Mexican descent must learn how to be successful students. This study describes 5 students of Mexican descent from situationally marginalized lives who were a part of a support and retention scholarship program (College Assistance Migrant Program--CAMP). These case studies document how they perceived their learning and how they changed as students after their first college experience and involvement in CAMP. Through her involvement in CAMP, Laura, a high school dropout without a...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Mexican American Education, Mexican Americans, Dropouts, Success, Academic...
This paper explains the current reforms in basic and higher education in the Philippines. Specifically, internal and external enablers in the educational environment were reviewed as justifications of the reforms both at the national level as well at the individual teacher. The reforms were treated in the light of four perspectives in the measurement of quality namely; the reputational view, the resources view, the outcomes view and the value-added view. (Contains 4 tables.)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Countries, Higher Education, Educational Environment, Educational Change,...
In recent years, there has been an increasingly pervasive discourse regarding the need for high levels of post-secondary education for life course success in a knowledge economy. Correspondingly, most Western industrialized nations have seen a drastic increase in university enrolment. Although we do know that access to university continues to be constrained by social class, we know little about factors contributing to dropping out of university. Using qualitative data obtained through...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Access to Education, Social Class, Correlation, Dropouts, First Generation College...
This paper documents the development of a unique institution in Canadian higher education, the university college in British Columbia. From its roots as a comprehensive community college, the university college was confronted with numerous legislative and policy changes which culminated in its current claim to be called a regional university. In support of this assertion, a number of issues are addressed, including the role and mandate of the university college, academic freedom and tenure,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Countries, Community Colleges, Universities, Undergraduate Study, Academic...
The population of Nigeria is 140 million according to the last 2006 census. Only 75 Universities are available to cater to this population with one University for 1,866,000 people. The inability of the available Universities in Nigeria to cope with the high demand for University education has put much pressure on University admissions. In order to satisfy some interests the Government of Nigeria adopted such admission policies as the quota system, catchment areas, backwardness factor, and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Admission Criteria, College Admission, Correlation, Foreign Countries, Data Analysis,...
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the publication of Mina Shaughnessy's groundbreaking book, "Errors and Expectations," a roundtable discussion was held at the March 2007 Conference on College Composition and Communication in New York City. This article, based on the earlier discussion, examines the question of CUNY's multiple identities within the legacy of Shaughnessy, who coined the term "basic writing" and founded the Journal of Basic Writing in 1975. Composition...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Basic Writing, Writing (Composition), Democracy, Open Enrollment, Urban Schools,...
I am honored by the articulate comments of the respondents to the questions raised in the lead paper, "Two Wrongs Do Not Make a Right: Sacrificing the Needs of Gifted Students Does Not Solve Society's Unsolved Problems." These five colleagues have proved themselves to be sensitive to the multiple issues and constituencies involved and highly constructive in their suggestions of steps to be taken to right the wrongs to which I referred. While we may not agree on some of the details...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academically Gifted, Public Schools, Student Needs, Disproportionate Representation,...
Dr. Robinson's proposed action plan will serve the needs of highly achieving gifted students. However, defining giftedness as high academic performance based on traditional assessment procedures could reverse the field's fledgling success in supporting culturally diverse gifted children and youth. Changing the focus of equity in gifted education to economic representation will not decrease educators' responsibility to understand the learning needs of racially, culturally, and linguistically...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Poverty, Academically Gifted, Equal Education, Access to Education, Student...
Gifted students in our nation's schools are being denied needed services because enrollment of underserved minorities in special classes is typically disproportionate. This disproportionality is a direct result of long-standing social inequities and the consequences of poverty. We are punishing the innocent for the sins of a society that has been unable to conquer these problems. A number of well-intentioned remedies have been attempted, but we need to take care that we do not, in the name of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academically Gifted, Equal Education, Minority Groups, Disproportionate...
This paper draws on an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded research project on men (aged 18-54) participating in pre-university access and foundation programs in four London further and higher education colleges. Men's educational choices and decisions are analysed and discussed within current policy debates about widening participation and lifelong learning. These choices are placed within a framework which focuses on masculinity in terms of classed and racialised...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Working Class, Middle Class, Foundation Programs, Lifelong Learning, Minority Groups,...
American Indians are among the most underrepresented and underserved groups in higher education. Fifty-one out of every 100 American Indians graduate from high school. Of these 1, only 7 percent will enroll in college and ultimately earn a bachelor's degree within six years. Some American-Indian students fail to complete their studies for financial reasons. Financial aid--whether in the form of grants, loans or student employment--is of critical importance for American Indians. There are a...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Student Employment, American Indians, Federal Aid, Scholarships, Paying for College,...
There is no shortage of places in higher education--most noncompetitive colleges could admit more students, but institutions often struggle to get the class that they want. Professionals consider the admission process successful when they are able to configure a class that meets the institution's many missions and notions, rather than just attracting a general group of students who want to learn. Therefore, admission actions and policies, to some extent, create a mismatch in supply and demand...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, Admission Criteria, Student Recruitment, Access to Education,...
Community colleges enroll nearly half the undergraduates in the U.S. These institutions play a significant role in the academic, social, political, and economic future of our nation. As historically open admission institutions, with a primary focus on providing access to higher education, they have been pressed in recent decades--as has all of higher education--to be more accountable and demonstrate the benefits they offer and at what cost. A common measure of accountability is student...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, Access to Education, Community Colleges, Open Enrollment, College...
This article relates the story of Jean-Yves Ngabonziza, a full-need international student. During his senior year, on Rwandan National Mourning Day, April 6, 19-year-old Yves spoke to the entire school community for the first time about his past and the past of his native country. He began with the history of central Africa, introduced the factions of the Rwandan conflict, described the genocide ("a civil war that erupted into genocide"), told how it played out and resolved. It was a...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Students, Boarding Schools, Culture Conflict, Tuition Grants, Grants,...
Helping schools create environments where all students can learn is a worthwhile mission for schools big and small. Both multi and single site districts agree that providing equitable and meaningful learning opportunities for every student is essential, but find this challenging and difficult. What are the systemic factors that limit educators in considering new educational paradigms that might structure schools differently, increase learning outcomes for a wider spectrum of students, and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academic Achievement, Educational Environment, School Size, Change Strategies,...
There can be a natural conflict between home schoolers and the school district's attempt to restrict their freedom. Home schooling is an age-old educational method that was primarily utilized by parents seeking to teach their own children at home in order to restore traditional values and bring what they perceived to be an order to the family. Presently, a few parents for reasons unique to themselves are now requesting home schooling for other than religious instruction. This type of parental...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Home Schooling, Educational Methods, Parent Attitudes, Compliance (Legal), Court...
Historically, rural schools have been geographically and politically isolated to the extent that some might say that they have been the victims of, or beneficiaries from, an unstated government policy of benign neglect. Recently, conditions and relationships have changed with the enactment of state and federal accountability legislation and legal challenges to the constitutionality of state funding systems for schools. Federal concerns about the quality of teachers and the progress of students...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Rural Schools, State Standards, Educational Finance, Graduation Requirements,...
As teachers and students consider the heated conversations over selective college admission, including a loud cry to end or curtail early application programs, the author urges admission offices to consider that greater access to the most selective schools must involve a redistribution of precious resources. A smaller percentage of early admits means less savvy students and families gain a relatively greater chance at admission. It also means a larger commitment to financial aid for needy...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Selective Admission, College Admission, Early Admission, Access to Education, Change,...
The research presented in this article is just a step in the arduous task of defining the legacy of globalization on education as cultures are forced into new association via an international economic agenda. United States-Mexican interchanges have developed as a result of the encouragement for global economic activity provided by the increase in open trade during the last decades of the twentieth century. The economic changes engendered by the global activities are monitored and documented to...
Topics: ERIC Archive, School Business Relationship, Foreign Countries, Mexicans, Global Approach,...
Technology education has progressed through several iterations over the past 100 years and continues to evolve as the primary medium for preparing children and youth in technological literacy. Over the past 20 years, technology education has worked diligently to move from a subject field where students primarily manipulated materials (industrial arts) to one of systematic instruction about technological systems and enterprises (technology education). The "Standards for Technological...
Topics: ERIC Archive, National Surveys, Educational Change, Foreign Countries, Technological Literacy,...
In this case study, South Carolina's gifted education policy development, changes, and implementation are explored from three perspectives: policymakers, linkers, and adopters. Document review and individual and focus group interviews with policymakers, those who develop statute, regulation, and policy; linkers, district persons who implement policy; and adopters, school-based persons, comprised data sources. Research questions include how did general education reform create change in gifted...
Topics: ERIC Archive, General Education, Gifted, Focus Groups, Educational Change, Case Studies,...
The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices, the Naglieri Nonverbal Abilities Test (NNAT), and the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) in selecting for ethnically diverse students who may be gifted. The participants of the study were 175 students enrolled in Grades 3-5 and Grade 8 in a Midwestern school district serving a small city of approximately 40,000 and surrounding rural areas. The results of this study indicate that the Raven's,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Gifted, Elementary Education, Nonverbal Ability, Test Validity, Student Diversity,...
The Bologna Process is the most important recent development in higher education policy at the European level. Initially North America observed this reorganisation of Europe's higher education architecture with some scepticism and even mild irony--if not outright ignoring it. More recently, however, the obvious success of attempts to create a "European Higher Education Area" has increased the interest on the other side of the Atlantic. This paper provides a short overview of the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, Competition, Educational Change, Foreign Countries, International...
The economic and social impact of depression on the Australian workforce is only recently being acknowledged. In 2004, the author undertook semi-structured interviews with people with human resource responsibilities in the deregulated sector of information technology in South Australia. The interviews focused on their accessibility to work-based education about depression and asked their opinions regarding the merit of such education. Wanting to conceptualize what is understood about depression...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Information Technology, Foreign Countries, Human Resources, Depression (Psychology),...
Literacy is a process which dispels and promotes rational thinking and moulds human beings into becoming responsible citizens. The absence of literacy directly and indirectly retards the development of individuals, society, community and the country. For the success of any program, people should be motivated by providing necessary congenial environments, socio-economic conditions and committed efforts on the part of implementing bodies. In spite of the number of efforts made by central and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Countries, Womens Education, Student Development, Females, Access to...
This article reviews current literature and discussion about the policies and sites of Australian adult education and training and their potential impact on the development of social capital in a regional context. The review stems from a current research project examining the impact of participation in adult education by people from diverse cultural backgrounds in a regional town in northern Victoria. There is evidence that adult education can transform individuals via access to new knowledge...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Adult Education, Foreign Countries, Public Education, Student Diversity, Educational...
This paper begins by teasing out the nature of social capital and its particular and current relevance to adult learning policy and practice in Australia. The paper identifies a number of benefits and significant problems with social capital as an organising construct for adult learning research and policy in Australia. Some connections are made between social capital and lifelong learning, and important distinctions are drawn between "bonding" and "bridging" social capital....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Research Tools, Lifelong Learning, Adult Learning, Foreign Countries, Social Capital,...
Throughout the world, policy-makers are demonstrating their commitment to widening participation in education by promoting alternative pathways to gaining academic qualifications. This paper reports a study which aimed to investigate the potential of online learning to overcome barriers to participating in education by socially disadvantaged adults, and to identify the factors that influenced such students' participation and successful completion of online learning courses. Seventy-nine adults...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Open Universities, Distance Education, Disadvantaged, Online Courses, Telephone...
Across the world, the distance mode of education is gaining momentum. It is a system in which schools, universities and other educational agencies offer instruction wholly or partly by mail. Eritrea is a newly independent country in Africa and is facing many challenges, particularly in its education sector. It does not have many educational institutions at tertiary level. Thus, distance learning is a valuable option for this country. The distance education program could promote higher education...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Distance Education, Developing Nations, Computer Uses in Education, Higher Education,...
Current social and economic circumstances are presenting universities with a more diverse general student intake whose support needs are increasingly similar to those of traditionally defined equity groups. This paper examines a Murdoch University equity program to demonstrate that simply increasing access does not always translate into increased benefit. It presents an argument for the restructuring of existing equity enabling programs and increasing transitional support for all students to...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Access to Education, Student Diversity, Student Needs, Equal Education, Educationally...
This article describes a snapshot ethnography conducted in Uganda with the Agabagaya Women's Group. The purpose of the study was to explore how women share knowledge among themselves to support their communities. Using post-development theory and Freire's critical theory as a lens, I argue that although international development is often focused on women's education, imposed development initiatives may actually hinder women's ability to share meaningful knowledge. I conclude with a discussion...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Critical Theory, Females, Ethnography, Womens Education, Foreign Countries, Social...
PL 94-142, the Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, was a landmark legislation at it assured "access" to public education for all children, without regard for disabling condition. In this article, the author presents a brief history of PL 94-142 and describes the significant and important changes in special education services since 1975. She discusses that the notion of equal educational opportunity for all students, including those with disabilities, is now part of the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Civil Rights, Equal Education, Disabilities, Educational Opportunities, Public...
On November 29, 1975 then President Ford signed the "Education of All Handicapped Children Act" (EAHCA) into law, mandating for the first time that children and youth with disabilities be afforded the right to a free and appropriate public education, individualized programming, parental participation in the decision making process, nondiscriminatory identification and evaluation, instruction in the least restrictive environment, while ensuring families due process rights and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Civil Rights, General Education, Disabilities, Access to Education, Special...
One of the most profound demographic shifts in the United States during the past two decades has been the dramatic increase in the Hispanic population, driven both by high birth rates relative to other racial and ethnic groups, and by immigration. The Hispanic population grew by 58% from 1990 to 2000, and in 2003 became the largest "minority" community in the country with a total of 38.8 million people. Today, about one in eight Americans is of Hispanic origin. Although 70% of Latinos...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Birth Rate, Hispanic Americans, Immigrants, Minority Groups, Immigration, Well Being,...
Whether adolescents from immigrant and ethnic minority families will make a successful transition to adulthood hinges on their educational achievement, their acquisition of employable skills and abilities, and their physical and mental health. This article focuses on the extent to which diverse adolescents are prepared for adulthood according to these three critical developmental outcomes. It finds that, in general, adolescents from Latino and African American backgrounds appear to be less...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Physical Health, Health Insurance, Adolescents, Immigrants, Financial Support,...
Many young children in immigrant families do not have good access to health and education services. To the extent that their life prospects are compromised as a result, these children--and the entire society--suffer. This article discusses the needs of children from birth to age eight, with a particular focus on the education needs of young children in immigrant families. Key observations include the following: (1) Children's skills in kindergarten and their achievement at the end of third...
Topics: ERIC Archive, After School Programs, Young Children, Family Literacy, Immigrants, Interpersonal...
A growing number of children over age 10 reside in and emancipate from foster care every year. Older children face many of the same challenges as younger children, but they also have unique developmental needs. This article discusses older children in the child welfare system and finds: (1) Approximately 47% of children in foster care are over age 11, and in 2001, 20% of children leaving foster care were over age 16; (2) Older children need permanency, stability, and a "forever...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Daily Living Skills, Substance Abuse, Homeless People, Educational Attainment, Child...
This review of literature was written in preparation for conducting a research study on the U.S. community college system as a potential model for developing countries, and using Vietnam as a specific case. It is divided into four sections: (a) a discussion of the purposes of higher education (HE), (b) an examination of problems faced by the HE systems in developing countries, (c) a description of Vietnam's HE context, and (d) perspectives concerning U.S. community colleges. The literature...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Teacher Salaries, Higher Education, Community Colleges, Institutional Autonomy,...
This article utilizes a social capital perspective to explore the benefits and harmful effects of strong ties between parents and schools in enhancing college access for students. While focusing on social capital in the form of parental participation, the article goes beyond a functionalist approach of the social capital theory as adopted by Coleman, whereby the social networks within parent groups and between parents and teachers are viewed as providing common positive outcomes for everyone in...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Parent School Relationship, Social Networks, Social Capital, Higher Education, Access...
This study identified the extent to which family factors increase school enrollment in Bolivia, after adjusting for human and financial capital. The sample was drawn from the 1998 Demographic and Health Survey. Logistic regression models were used to determine the effect of human capital, financial capital and family factors on school enrollment. Results of the study indicated that mother's education, the socioeconomic status of the family and the mother's knowledge of health issues all...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Human Capital, Socioeconomic Status, Health Education, Mothers, Foreign Countries,...
Less than 5 percent of the high school Class of 2003 in Hartford, Connecticut, is expected to graduate from a four-year college by 2008. In this article, the author describes a novel effort underway in Connecticut's capital, in which private schools are working to expand college access and success for urban students. Following the model used by the Steppingstone Foundation in other cities, The Hartford Youth Scholars Foundation (HYSF) will launch the Steppingstone Academy Hartford. Students...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Urban Schools, High Schools, Private Schools, Higher Education, Academic Achievement,...
There has been a surge of attention to issues of access and success in higher education. The U.S. Education Secretary's Commission on the Future of Higher Education has discussed it. State policymakers are proposing new goals and accountability systems to address these issues. Even the mainstream press has been increasingly critical of higher education's perceived turning away from its longstanding promise to serve as a means for hardworking low-income students to learn their way into the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, Low Income Groups, Graduation Rate, Accountability, Student...
The Spellings Commission report calls for greater access to higher education for low- and moderate-income students, greater transparency in the way higher education works and greater accountability for producing results. These recommendations are all significant in their own right, but the three concepts also converge to provide powerful support for an important new idea: requiring greater transparency and accountability of colleges for whether or not they are honoring a commitment to the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, Democratic Values, Accountability, Access to Education, Low Income...
Higher education in America had its origins in New England more than 350 years ago. Since then, America's colleges and universities have been the incubators of great ideas, birthplaces of great inventions, and testing grounds of great individuals. For generations of New Englanders, a college education has provided the opportunity to fully embrace the American Dream. In recent decades, New England has led the nation with the highest percentage of citizens with bachelor's degrees. This has led to...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Economic Progress, Higher Education, Quality of Life, Education Work Relationship,...
The national Commission on the Future of Higher Education provides some deserved criticism of the way U.S. higher education currently works. Insofar as higher education institutions are the intellectual and economic engines that power New England, it is prudent for them to re-examine higher education in New England today from the perspective of the commission's report, "A Test of Leadership". The changes that are required do not reside in the recommendations of the Spellings...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, Access to Education, Student Costs, Student Financial Aid, State...
In this new era of globalization, it is more important than ever for the American citizens to have a college education so they can obtain good jobs and have a fair chance at the American Dream, but it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to get such an education--including in New England. According to the most recent report of the College Board, the region's four-year colleges--both public and private--continue to be the most expensive in the nation. In this article, the author states...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, Federal Aid, Student Loan Programs, Public Colleges, Student...
New England institutions have long been in the forefront of recruiting foreign students. Recently, the numbers of foreign students studying in the United States has declined partly as a result of visa problems, widespread perceptions that the United States no longer welcomes foreign students and increasing anti-Americanism abroad. The primary barrier to increasing numbers of foreign students, however, has been, and still is, lack of financing. Foreign students are not eligible for most forms of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Student Recruitment, Foreign Students, Student Loan Programs, Access to Education,...