This qualitative investigation studies the impact of belonging to a high school Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA or Alliance) on the lives of seven students. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted over a two-year time period. The author used voices of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and straight students to relate the experiences unique to each…

In this paper, the authors discuss the issue of academic equivalence as it applies to international transfer of credit. They describe the history of the problem, list factors that encourage diversity and those that promote uniformity, and review and evaluate possible solutions, which may involve either turning over equivalence to outside certified…

The purpose of this paper is to discuss Florida teachers' recommendations for improving the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) and to compare their recommendations with those of Florida administrators. Although teachers' suggestions varied as to the types and extent of remedies needed to improve the FCAT, some common themes emerged. The…

The Weekend College (WEC) at Virginia's John Tyler Community College (JTCC) is an 8-week program offering classes every other weekend as well as student-directed learning activities outside the classroom. The program was begun in spring 1995, offering 9 courses and enrolling 152 students. To judge the effectiveness of the WEC, data were collected…

This practicum project was designed to increase student ownership of learning through student-kept assignment calendars and portfolios. The subjects, 63 junior high school students at a private Christian school, were also involved in frequent, cooperative sessions in which they checked each other's work and offered suggestions, with reports to the…

This study explored mothers' beliefs about their children's educational and occupational futures, and it examined relationships between mothers' beliefs and children's academic achievement and between mothers' beliefs and maternal perceptions of parental responsibilities. A sample of 141 mothers and their first- or fourth-grade child participated…

Policies and practices related to grading at 14 colleges and universities (8 public and 6 private) and how they have changed between 1980 and 1990 were studied along with the grading orientations and practices of over 500 faculty members. Changes between 1980 and 1990 that may have affected grades include greater prescription of the curriculum,…

This report examines the role of schools and "outside" social and economic influences in young people's lives, focusing particularly on the impact that participation in extracurricular activities has on racial tensions and students' self-images. It is based on data collected from a national sample of tenth graders in the 1980 "High…

The tables presented in this report measure the effectiveness of Shelby State Community College's Academic and Developmental Services (ADS) Division, providing data on assessment and placement results, enrollment, retention, grade distribution, and progress of currently enrolled students who entered the college in fall 1987 or 1988. Highlighted…

A random sample of the records of all juniors and seniors tested under the American College Testing Program (ACT) during 1986-87 was selected to assess the relationships among the number and type of college preparatory courses students take, their grades in those courses, and their ACT test scores. Focus was on the impact of differential…

An argument based on the content fit among a college course, the American College Testing Program (ACT) Assessment tests, and students' high school course work is described to justify use of ACT scores and self-reported high school grades for placement of college freshmen in undergraduate remedial education. A utility-based approach to quantifying…

This study used multiple discriminant analysis (MDA) to assess differences among subgroups defined in terms of sex and undergraduate major area, and ethnic group and undergraduate major area, with respect to patterns of performance on Graduate Record Examination (GRE) item-type part scores. Special subscores based on item types included in the…

A follow-up study was conducted at William Rainey Harper College (WRHC) of students who had completed several courses in the Criminal Justice Program to determine why students left the criminal justice field, examine Criminal Justice students' enrollment and course-taking patterns, and to analyze withdrawal and failure rates in the course,…

The relationship between declining scores on national standardized tests and grade inflation is explored. Grade inflation refers to the indicated measure of evaluation of student performance having higher placement than is usual based on the performances. Data for this study were taken from the American College Testing (ACT) Program Class Profile…

Faculty and medical students' conceptions of an optimal progression toward graduation as defined by academic and psychosocial markers were compared. Twenty-four academic indicators of success or difficulty, primarily examination scores or clerkship evaluations, and 10 other indicators of progress toward graduation were assessed by 23 faculty and…