When 89% of high school graduates plan BA degrees, and low-achieving seniors who plan degrees have 80% failure rates, raising already high plans may be a poor strategy for improving college success. Using data on 7th-10th grade students, Domina et al. argue that higher plans are associated with success and suggest that my study of high school…

Examines how youths' plans are formed in the Japanese educational system compared with plan formation in the U.S. educational system. Studies the stability of Japanese students' plans by junior high school, the responsiveness of plans to grade changes, and high school rank. Discusses adolescent planning confusion and the effect of grades on…

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey, the article discusses a study to compare effects of high school tracking in two versions of a status-attainment model--one using students' track perceptions and the other using their actual tracks (taken from school records). Findings indicated that students often misperceive their tracks.…

Identifies the three elements of the school-to-work transition as schools, employers, and the relationship between them. Suggests that this transition could be improved if schools make academic instruction vocationally relevant, employers base hiring on applicants' achievement in school, and school-employer linkages are created and designed…

Compares employers' stated needs for entry-level workers possessing better academic skills with their training programs and hiring practices to supposedly meet this need. Discovers a dichotomy between the stated needs and the corrective practice. Most remedial training emphasizes short-term job skills and hiring practices do not reward academic…

Discusses a study of the effects of grades, noncognitive behaviors, and fathers' occupations on the early employment of high school graduates in the United States and Japan. Reports that grades have a strong influence upon early jobs in Japan but little impact in the United States. Concludes that noncognitive behaviors have little effect in either…

Examines whether youths use different ways to contact employers and whether their methods affect their job earnings. Reveals that most types of contacts have little effect on early earnings, but relatives and school contacts place students in jobs that lead to higher earnings nine years later. (Contains 52 references.) (CMK)

Describes a remedial approach in two community colleges that avoids the stigma attached to remedial courses. Analyzes interviews with staff and students. Evaluates institutional procedures. Discovers this approach inhibits and delays students' awareness of their remedial status, causes them to misjudge their prospects, and prevents them from…

How do unselective schools that serve disadvantaged students get employers to recognize their graduates' qualifications? This study examined whether low-status colleges (whose credentials may not be widely understood) rely on the traditional college charter or engage in charter-building activities to get employers to recognize students' value.…