In this paper, the authors examine the relative labor market gains for first-time college students who enrolled in the North Carolina Community College System in 2002-03. The medium-term returns to diplomas, certificates, and degrees are compared with returns for students who accumulated college credits but did not graduate. The authors also…

As public school accountability for student achievement has continued to increase, prior to and as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, schools have sought ways of bringing new instructional services to their students to raise their levels of achievement. Some Pennsylvania public high schools have attempted to improve student…

This paper provides the student statistics of the Community College League of California for the year 2010. These include: Per-Student Funding by Education System, 2009-10; Undergraduate Student Enrollment, 2008-09; Number of Student Transfers to Four-Year Public & Private Institutions, 2008-09; and Degrees and Certificates Awarded, 2008-09. …

Increased state and federal accountability measures have made the assessment of student performance one of the most critical responsibilities of classroom teachers; yet, inadequate opportunities for preservice and inservice training leave many teachers feeling ill-prepared for this task. Adding to the complexity of building teachers' assessment…

This annual publication provides a summary of training activity in apprenticeships and traineeships in Australia, from the period 1998 to 2008, including information on training rates, attrition rates, completion rates, training within the trades and duration of training. The figures in this publication are derived from the National Apprentice and…

As states move to implement the Common Core State Standards, key challenges remain. One is how to make sure a high school diploma acknowledges what students have achieved. Should states adopt a two tiered diploma, in which students who pass internationally aligned Common Core exams at a career- and college-ready level receive an…

Holding students back when they do not meet a specific attainment level is common practice in a lot of countries. However, this practice is not without controversy and recent studies point at the negative effects of grade retention, especially in the long-term. The majority of these studies focused on grade retention in primary education. In our…

In New York City, as in many places across the country, there is much discussion about strengthening career and technical education (CTE). New York City's approach to Career and Technical Education (CTE) is held up as a model for getting this type of education right. A recent conference highlighted six schools that represented only a fraction…

Understanding effective and appropriate techniques for assessing student learning has never been as critical and political as is it is today. Accurate assessment methodologies employed in public schools are vital to the interpretation of student achievement data through which school effectiveness is being measured. Although there is a need,…

This study was commissioned to investigate whether or not, and if so, how, use of different assessment methods makes a difference to learner achievement and progress in the learning and skills sector (LSS). This is the first comprehensive study of assessment procedures and practices employed across the full range of LSS contexts--school sixth…

UK awarding bodies increasingly use technology to distribute digital copies of students' examination scripts to examiners for marking. This process allows senior examiners (team leaders) to remotely monitor and feedback on the marking quality of examiners under their supervision throughout the marking period. The objective of this study was to…

Health and social care students spend up to 50% of their course in practice. Placements are distributed across a wide geographical area and have varying degrees of IT access and support. Consequently, students may feel isolated from peers, academic staff, and resources required for effective learning. Mobile technology has considerable potential…

Students in the vocational schools in Taiwan largely care little about their grades and do not get involved adequately in their schoolwork. To respond effectively to this challenge of teaching, two cases were studied and compared; one is a class using a traditional method of teaching and the other a class deploying innovative teaching methods of…

Health and physical education (PE) are low status, marginalised subjects in many schools internationally. However in New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere, they are concurrently credentialed and recognised senior high school options in which students can gain national qualifications. In New Zealand these subjects also tend to attract students who…

This paper reviews recent research that has questioned the efficacy of using what has been defined as "policy with regards to student motivation" to enhance retention and achievement among vocational students. This research examined the contradictions between GNVQ and AVCE policy and the student perceptions of these courses at two schools and a…