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Strategies For Improving Out-Of-School Programs In Rural Communities
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Young people who live in rural areas are less likely to finish high school and to complete college than their urban and suburban peers. These adolescents are also more likely to use drugs and alcohol. In fact, rural adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 have the highest levels of drug use in this age group. Out-of-school time programs in rural areas can provide healthy and constructive activities that offer productive ways for children and youth to spend their time, build positive relationships, and receive academic support. This brief highlights the challenges faced by rural out-of-school programs and suggests several strategies that can strengthen these programs. Includes a profile of a program in Adams County, Pennsylvania.
Authors: Ashleigh Collins, M.A., Jacinta Bronte-Tinkew, Ph.D., and Cassandra Logan, Ph.D
Date: May 2008 |
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Characteristics of the 100 Largest Public Elementary & Secondary School Districts in the United States: 2004-05 (April 2008)
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This annual report provides basic information from the Common Core of Data about the nation's largest public school districts in the 2004-05 school year. The data include such characteristics as the numbers of students and teachers, number of high school completers and the averaged freshman graduation rate, and revenues and expenditures. Several findings were: These 100 largest districts enrolled 23 percent of all public school students, and employed 20 percent of all public school teachers, in 2004-05. The 100 largest districts produced 20 percent of all high school completers (both diploma and other completion credential recipients) in 2003-04. Across these districts, the averaged freshman graduation rate was 70.2 percent. Four states -- California, Florida, Texas, and New York -- accounted for more than half of the 100 largest public school districts. Current per-pupil expenditures in fiscal year 2003 ranged from a low of $4,351 in the Puerto Rico School District to a high of $17,337 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Authors: Anthony Garofano and Jennifer Sable, Education Statistics Services Institute - American Institutes for Research |
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A Stagnant Nation: Why American Students are Still at Risk (April 2008)
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A Stagnant Nation: Why American Students are Still at Risk shows the lack of progress in the school reform movement since the 1983 release of the National Commission on Excellence in Education's letter to the American people, A Nation at Risk. ED in 08's report card explains that key recommendations related to time, teaching and standards have yet to be realized. |
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Children's Budget 2008 - April 2008
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Children's Budget 2008 is a comprehensive guide the over 180 different children's programs funded by the federal government, from child health and education to child welfare and juvenile justice. Advocates, policymakers, and program administrators alike will find Children's Budget 2008 an invaluable resource for all those seeking to improve the lives of America's youth. Created by FirstFocus: Making Children & Families the Priority - April 28, 2008
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There's More to College than Just Getting In (April 2008)
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By Robin Chait & Louis Soares, Center for American Progress. April 23, 2008
For most students, getting into school is the easy part. Successfully completing college is the hard part, especially for young people from low-income and minority communities. For millions, successful careers, good jobs, and salaries are connected with finishing college, not starting it. |
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The Sit Down Dinner: Formalizing Restructuring Under the No Child Left Behind Act in Michigan (April, 2008)
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This report describes Michigan's school restructuring efforts under the No Child Left Behind Act, and includes findings from case studies of nine schools in four school districts: Detroit Public Schools, Flint Community Schools, Harrison Community Schools, and Willow Run Community Schools. Key findings from the report include (1) more Michigan schools are in restructuring due to a greater number of high schools entering restructuring; (2) the state offers additional assistance and monitoring to restructuring schools through intermediate school districts and other regional entities; (3) turnaround specialists remain the most popular restructuring option; and (4) federal Title I funds increased, but state financial difficulties hinder restructuring.
Authors: Caitlin Scott, Maureen Kelleher
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Positive Youth Development Report - Spring 2008
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PYD Report is a quarterly policy update focused on positive youth evelopment. This issue includes: Capitol Hill Happenings Related to Youth; Interview with youth development policy expert Harry Wilson; advocacy tips. (Spring 2008) |
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Alternative Education Options: A Descriptive Study of California Continuation High Schools (April 2008)
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By: Jorge Ruiz de Velasco, Gregory Austin, Don Dixon, Joseph Johnson, Milbrey McLaughlin, Lynne Perez
This issue brief summarizes initial findings from a year-long descriptive study of continuation high schools in California. It is the first in a series of reports from the on-going California Alternative Education Research Project conducted jointly by the John W. Gardner Center at Stanford University, the National Center for Urban School Transformation at San Diego State University, and WestEd.
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Cities in Crisis: A Special Analytic Report on High School Graduation (April 2008)
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This report takes a geographically-informed approach to the issue of high school completion. Specifically, we examine graduation rates in the school districts serving the nation's 50 most-populous cities as well as the larger metropolitan areas in which they are situated. Results show that graduation rates are considerably lower in the nation's largest cities than they are in the average urban locale. Further, extreme disparities emerge in a number of the country's largest metropolitan areas, where students served by suburban systems may be twice as likely as their urban peers to graduate from high school. (April 1, 2008)
Author: Christopher B. Swanson, Ph.D., Director, Editorial Projects in Education Research Center
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GAO Report on Disconnected Youth - Feb. 2008
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"GAO Report on Disconnected Youth - Federal Action Could Address Some of the Challenges Faced by Local Programs That Reconnect Youth to Education and Employment." The GAO reviewed 39 local programs that differed in their funding sources and program structure, yet shared some characteristics, such as years of experience serving youth. These programs received funding from multiple sources: federal, state, local, and private, although most relied on some federal funds. They were structured differently - for example, some were community-based organizations that provided services on a daily basis, some were charter schools, and some offered residential living. Most of the programs were created to address local concerns such as youth homelessness or dropout rates, and many had at least 10 years of experience serving youth. - Feb. 2008 |
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