Discusses the relationships between fiscal stress in California public schools after the passage of Proposition 13 and high school curricular changes. Reports that school staff and parents interviewed in California's Big Eight districts perceived reduced course offerings in similar areas and understood the intimate ties between financial pressures…

Reports a study on minimum competency testing in American high schools. Discusses the effects on students who fail to pass it, and the perceptions of educators and administrators about the value and barrier aspects of these tests. Implications of the findings for research, policy making, and educational practice are explored. (JS)

Explores the concepts of risk and resilience applied to eighth graders and suggests advantages in considering a definition of risk grounded in actual school performance and behavior rather than to various group-level probabilities of failure. Evidence shows the importance of family supports, school responsiveness to students, and student…