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A primary focus among colleges implementing student success reforms has been to increase overall rates of completing any credential and to reduce racial and socioeconomic equity gaps in such completion rates. The focus on general completion may overlook inequities in the type of program students complete, which is particularly significant given the wide variety of credentials offered at community colleges--from short-term certificates to transfer-oriented associate degrees that may lead to bachelor's and graduate degree programs--and the resulting variation in labor market returns among completers. Our study examines racial/ethnic stratification among community college students as they enter and progress through different programs leading to higher- and lower-paying jobs. Specifically, we develop a discrete-time survival analysis using longitudinal enrollment and transcript data on first-time-in-college, credential-seeking community college students from a state with more than 20 community colleges. We track student enrollment, completion, and transfer for up to nine years and examine when equity gaps in completion emerge. We also measure the student achievement of academic milestones (such as levels of credit accrual) along educational pathways that are associated with higher rates of credential completion and transfer over the long term. Results suggest that a significant gap in the likelihood of bachelor's degree completion between Black and White students emerges more episodically, while the gap between Hispanic and White students develops earlier and remains more consistent over time. Our results also suggest that, while all students generally benefit from the attainment of academic milestones such as gaining credit momentum or completing pre-transfer associate degrees, doing so disproportionately benefits Black and Hispanic students.

We document patterns and trends in school segregation in North Carolina between 1998 and 2016, a period of rapid immigration in this racially diverse state. As in other states of the South, the period of court orders enforcing racial balance has given way not only to tacit acceptance of residentially based school segregation but also to policies that offer parents alternatives to traditional public schools. Most prominent among these alternatives in North Carolina are charter schools, which have expanded rapidly with the state's blessing. Following the prevailing practice of social scientists, we measure segregation by the degree of imbalance across schools, using counties and metropolitan areas as basic geographical units. We differentiate students according to their racial/ethnic group and also to their family income. We take into account all students including those in private schools, charter schools and traditional public schools. For the state as a whole, we find that white/nonwhite segregation increased over the period. Most of the increase was in urban areas. We also find that low-income students became more segregated from other students. Segregation measured either way increased sharply in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, which significantly changed its student assignment policy following a federal court order. Compared to metropolitan areas in other parts of the U.S., urban areas in the state have modest levels of segregation, because most districts are county-wide and thus large and diverse. We decompose metropolitan segregation, separating the portions due to private schools, charter schools, racial disparities between school districts, and racial disparities within districts. Charter schools and within-district disparities accounted for the increase in average segregation in metropolitan areas over the period. More generally, areas where school segregation increased the most tend to be large, growing, and marked by big increases in the share of students who are Hispanic.

Competency-based education (CBE) is a rapidly growing movement of postsecondary and K-12 programs that allow learners to move ahead based on what they know and can do, rather than time spent in class. At the postsecondary level, CBE could be a pathway that helps many thousands of learners move from poverty to prosperity. This paper considers how CBE can be used to educate, equip, and empower learners who struggle in postsecondary learning programs because of who they are and where they live. Recommended starting points--places and programs--are provided throughout the paper to highlight where and how CBE providers can prioritize equity. The first section identifies three learner populations for CBE programs to prioritize: (1) learners of color; (2) adult learners who are unemployed or underemployed; and (3) adult learners with some postsecondary education but no credential. The second section details the types of programs CBE providers should offer, and the final section suggests some occupations and industries for which CBE programs should prepare their graduates.

This first report of charter school parents' perceptions based on nationally representative samples finds that charter parents, as compared with parents from district schools, are less likely to see serious problems at their children's school, report more extensive communications with the school, and are more satisfied with most aspects of the school. Charter parents are less satisfied than private-school parents, but report more communications with the school. The variation of parental perceptions within the private sector is less than in other sectors. Results are obtained from The Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of 2012, administered by the National Center of Education Statistics, and the 2016 "Education Next" Survey, designed by the Harvard Program on Education Policy and Governance. The following are appended: (1) Survey Items; (2) Ordered Logistic Regression Models; and (3) Leik's D Analysis.

In this study, I draw on longitudinal data for 1.1 million students in California to estimate the effects of community college credentials on students' earnings, as compared with students who are not awarded a credential. In contrast to much of the recent work on this subject, which assumed that the effects of credentials on students' earnings are constant over time, I estimate the effects of credentials on the rate of change in students' earnings and allow these effects to vary over time. I find significant earnings gains for all levels of credentials, including low-credit awards requiring fewer than six credits. Returns to associate degrees are the most durable over time, while returns to short- and long-term certificates and low-credit awards are strong initially but begin to flatten or decline by seven years after the award. I find substantial variability in returns by students' race/ethnicity and gender. Black men and Black women experience especially strong returns to associate degrees and long-term certificates, relative to other students of the same gender but different race/ethnicity, and men of all racial/ethnic groups experience much stronger returns to short-term certificates than do women. I also note wide variation by field of study in returns to credentials. The most consistent returns across levels of credentials are found in the biological sciences, engineering and industrial technologies, health, law, and public and protective services. Finally, I find compelling evidence of the need to distinguish returns after a credential is awarded from returns after a student has finished (or otherwise left) postsecondary education, as argued in recent work. Appendix A presents the author's approach to reconciling units of time. Appendix B lists the distribution of subfields of study for all credentials awarded in the CCC system from Fall 2002 through Summer 2013, by level and field of study.

There is mounting evidence of substantial "teacher quality gaps" (TQGs) between advantaged and disadvantaged students, but practically no empirical evidence about their history. We use longitudinal data on public school students, teachers, and schools from two states--North Carolina and Washington--to provide a descriptive history of the evolution of TQGs in these states. We find that TQGs exist in every year in each state and for all measures we consider of student disadvantage and teacher quality. But there is variation in the magnitudes and sources of TQGs over time, between the two states, and depending on the measure of student disadvantage and teacher quality.

I provide a new, systematic profile of more than 18,000 homeless students in Michigan, utilizing rich administrative data from all test-taking students in grades 3-9 during the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years. These data are part of a larger study of school choice and student mobility in that state. Homelessness is a condition found disproportionately away from suburban school districts. African American and Hispanic students are more frequently homeless and homeless students are almost universally impoverished. They are far more mobile between districts and zip codes than their non-homeless peers and are more likely to participate in inter-district school choice and charter schools. Finally, homeless students score far lower on state math and reading tests.

Value-added data have become an increasingly common evaluation tool for schools and teachers. Many school districts have begun to adopt these methods and have released results publicly. In this paper, we use the unique public release of value-added data in Los Angeles to identify how this measure of school quality is capitalized into housing prices. Via difference-in-differences, we find no evidence of a response to either school or teacher value-added rank, even though school-zone boundary fixed-effects estimates indicate that test score levels are capitalized into home prices. Given ample evidence that this information was new to residents, widely dispersed, and easily available, our results suggest that people did not significantly value it on the margin. This has implications for the effectiveness of providing value-added information as a tool to help parents choose schools. Supplemental tables and a figure are appended.

This paper examines the returns to math courses relative to courses in other subjects for students in community college. Using matched college transcript and earnings data on over 80,000 students entering community college during the 2000s, we find that college-level math coursework has an indirect positive effect on award completion that is stronger than that of coursework in other subjects. In terms of direct effects, we find mixed evidence on the direct effect of enhanced math skills on earnings over other college-level skills. Overall, the combined direct and indirect effect appears to be adverse: compared with other courses or college pathways, more math coursework in community college is modestly associated with relatively lower earnings in later adulthood. However, this association is sensitive to modeling, and we do find heterogeneous results by gender, race/ethnicity, and initial college ability, as well as by math field and level. Two supplementary tables are appended.

In 1954, the United States Supreme Court decided "Brown v. Board of Education," a case that is known throughout the US and around the world for its strong statements about equality and about the importance of education. The years since the "Brown" decision have been filled with many changes in US law and society. From the perspective of civil rights advocates, many of those changes have resulted in great progress, but others have fallen far short of "Brown's" lofty ambitions. Today, if Americans who are committed to achieving more integrated schools and broader access to quality education look only inside our own law and our own borders, the situation is discouraging. At first glance, however, recent developments in Europe seem to pursue one road not taken by the US Supreme Court. In 2007, the European Court of Human Rights, the most influential international human rights court in the world, decided what some commentators have referred to as "Europe's Brown v. Board of Education." Informed by the contours of what constitutes illegal discrimination under different legal regimes' statutes and judge-made law, this working paper analyzes school desegregation liability and remedies available in the US and the EU (specifically the Czech Republic). Turning to the EU, the authors see how an international human rights court is redefining the way national remedies against discrimination are construed. Before beginning their analysis, the authors explore some similarities and differences between US and European conceptions of race and ethnicity.

In pursuit of enhanced employability of university graduates, along with their increased mobility in a rapidly globalizing economy, colleges and universities in the world today participate in regional alliances and partnerships in which shared targets with mutually recognized degrees and curricula are sought across boundaries through transnational higher education policies. The Bologna Process is certainly exemplified as one of the most important multilateral efforts in the recent history of higher education, in establishing such a system of quality assurance within the European Higher Education Area. Although the member states of the Bologna Process endeavor to meet the common benchmarks on the preset assessment criteria, the speed of policy implementation is found to widely vary across the participating countries. This paper attempts to identify the sources of discrepancies in achieving the common policy targets among the member states and explore in particular the extent to which varying stages of socio-economic as well as political development, along with indigenous ethnic and linguistic complexities, affect the robust progress of implementing multilateral higher education policies. Our findings generally suggest significant impacts of these indigenous factors.

We use a unique longitudinal sample of student teachers ("interns") from six Washington state teacher training institutions to investigate patterns of entry into the teaching workforce. Specifically, we estimate split population models that simultaneously estimate the impact of individual characteristics and student teaching experiences on the timing and probability of initial hiring as a public school teacher. Not surprisingly, we find that interns endorsed to teach in "difficult-to-staff" areas are more likely to be hired as teachers than interns endorsed in other areas. Younger interns, white interns, and interns who did their student teaching in suburban schools are also more likely to find a teaching job. Prospective teachers who do their internships at schools that have more teacher turnover are more likely to find employment, often at those schools. Finally, interns with higher credential exam scores are more likely to be hired by the school where they did their student teaching. Contrary to expectations, few of the measures of the quality or the experience of an intern's cooperating teacher are predictive of workforce entry in the expected direction.

This paper investigates how the precision and stability of a teacher's value-added estimate relates to the characteristics of the teacher's students. Using a large administrative data set and a variety of teacher value-added estimators, it finds that the stability over time of teacher value-added estimates can depend on the previous achievement level of a teacher's students. The differences are large in magnitude and statistically significant. The year-to-year stability level of teacher value-added estimates are typically 25% to more than 50% larger for teachers serving initially higher performing students compared to teachers with initially lower performing students. In addition, some differences are detected even when the number of student observations is artificially set to the same level and the data are pooled across two years to compute teacher value-added. Finally, the paper offers a policy simulation which demonstrates that teachers who face students with certain characteristics may be differentially likely to be the recipient of sanctions in a high stakes policy based on value-added estimates and more likely to see their estimates vary from year-to-year due to low stability.

This paper examines the effect of exposure to violent crime on students' standardized test performance among a sample of students in New York City public schools. To identify the effect of exposure to community violence on children's test scores, we compare students exposed to an incident of violent crime on their own blockface in the week prior to the exam to students exposed in the week after the exam. The results show that such exposure to violent crime reduces performance on English Language Arts assessments, and no effect on Math scores. The effect of exposure to violent crime is most pronounced among African Americans, and reduces the passing rates of black students by approximately 3 percentage points. Two appendices contain supplementary tables.

As has been known for some time now, the Hispanic population is projected to grow to 25% of the total United States population by 2050. In spite of this growth, substantial disparities exist between Hispanics and other ethnic groups in terms of bachelor's degree attainment (Llagas & Snyder, 2003). In response, there is a rapidly growing body of evidence to understand the role of student characteristics, perceptions, academic and social experiences and behaviors, both independently and collectively influence undergraduate Hispanic student engagements and/or academic outcomes (see review by Nora & Crisp, 2009). Developmental education is a key college experience assumed to open doors to economic and educational advancement among traditionally underrepresented groups by resolving barriers that impede access to a college degree (Bahr, 2010a). Hispanics are among the groups assumed to benefit from developmental education as the overrepresentation of Latino/s in remedial coursework is well documented (e.g., Bettinger & Long, 2005; Grimes & David, 1999; Penny, White, & William, 1998). However, there is a notable absence of empirical evidence documenting the role of remedial education in promoting success for Hispanic students. As such, the purpose of this white paper is to summarize what is currently known regarding Latino/a students who participate in developmental education at both two and four-year institutions. The authors begin by describing the characteristics of developmental education. Next, they provide a profile of characteristics and outcomes for Latino/a students who participate in remediation. A brief synthesis of the developmental education literature is given, providing emphasis to studies that have included or disaggregated findings for Latino/a students. They conclude with key recommendations for research, theory, and policy. (Contains 2 tables.) [Portions of this paper were presented by Crisp & Delgado at the conference of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) in November, 2011.]

This paper reviews the new directions in institutional research on undergraduate racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversity at the University of California, Berkeley. The use of SERU/UCUES and other web-based census surveys has made possible more detailed and extensive analysis of student diversity. Included is research on an expanded number of racial/ethnic groups and on multiracial students, the significance of the African American experience, implications of the new IPEDS racial/ethnic reporting requirements, and a closer examination of Pell Grant and first-generation college students. UCUES survey results are used to development a more comprehensive parental education and immigrant generation diversity (EID) typology that is then used to examine the interrelationships among student demographics and various facets of the undergraduate academic experience. Finally, an analysis of student accounts of the experience of diversity at Berkeley provides an example of how web-based census surveys afford new opportunities for cost-effective qualitative diversity research. (Contains 19 tables, 1 figure and 1 footnote.)

This working paper focuses on some of the issues and challenges faced in developing early childhood programmes to promote racial and ethnic diversity in societies characterised by deep divisions and/or conflict. The central argument of the paper is that the development, delivery and evaluation of such programmes need to be informed by three core values: they should be children's rights-based, outcomes-focused, and evidence-informed. Northern Ireland provides a useful case study because its people are emerging from 30 years of armed conflict. The ability to study the development of an early childhood programme aimed at promoting understanding and respect for ethnic diversity in such a context raises a number of fundamental issues of relevance to a wide range of other situations and contexts. Paul Connolly is Professor of Education and Director of the Centre for Effective Education at Queen's University Belfast, and the founding Co-Director of the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and Ethnic Diversity. A bibliography is included. (Contains 8 figures, 1 table and 9 footnotes.)

Using data linked across generations in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, I estimate the relationship between exposure to volatile income during childhood and a set of socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood. The empirical framework is an augmented intergenerational income mobility model that includes controls for income volatility. I measure income volatility at the family level in two ways. First, instability as measured by squared deviations around a family-specific mean, and then as percent changes of 25 percent or more. Volatility enters the model both separately and interacted with income level. I find that family income instability during childhood has a small, positive association with high school dropout--one which appears driven by volatility among children from lower income households. Evidence suggests that volatility exposure generally has a minimal impact on intergenerational outcomes relative to permanent income.

This paper studies whether examinee characteristics are systematically related to mode effect across paper and computer versions of the same instrument, using data from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) of the Educational Testing Service in its Computer-Based Testing Pilot Study of 1991. The following characteristics of 1,114 examinees were studied as contributors to mode effect: (1) demographic variables (gender, racial/ethnic background, and age); (2) computer use variables (variety and frequency of computer experience, frequency of mouse use, and test mode preference); and (3) test-taking strategy variables (strategy preference, and tendency to omit or review items). The typical method found in comparability literature was used, treating performance across paper and computer versions as a continuous dependent variable. Because a mode effect in a small subset of examinees could be masked, a method that isolated examinees most affected by test mode was used. For this method, mode effect was treated as a three-level, categorical, independent variable. Data demonstrate mode effect and support the conception of a small subset of examinees whose performance was more affected by mode than that of the total sample. The search for examinee characteristics that explain occurrence of mode effect, however, yielded inconsistent results, with only weak relationships to mode effect. Three figures and 21 tables present study findings. (Contains 31 references.) (SLD)

Although the University of California, Berkeley has increased efforts to involve undergraduates in scientific research, little data exists regarding the number of undergraduate researchers. The University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) presents an opportunity to investigate the extent of undergraduate research involvement at the UC Berkeley. The data (N=5,347) show that the frequency of student participation in research under the direction of a faculty mentor varies significantly based on whether students are receiving course credit, pay, or working as a volunteer. Undergraduate research participation also varies between STEM majors and social science or humanities majors (non-STEM), with slightly more STEM majors participating. The data show that women are participating in STEM research opportunities at a lower rate than men but participating in non-STEM research opportunities at a higher rate than men. The data also show that Asian, Filipino, and Pacific Islanders (AFP students) account for 50% of all undergraduate researchers in STEM fields and 35% of all non-STEM researchers. However, the data also reveal that African American, Chicano-Latino, AFP, White, American Indian, and international students are all participating at almost the exact same rate in undergraduate research (between 24% and 27% by ethnic or racial category). Further analysis regarding the relationship between undergraduate research experience and the highest parental education level reached, as well as high school grade-point average and standardized test scores (SAT I and ACT) is presented. Implications for higher education administrators, education researchers, faculty mentors, and undergraduate students are discussed. (Contains 10 tables.)

This paper summarizes the literature and research on the relationships between culture and mathematics. Ethnomathematics examines the ways that different cultural groups use mathematics. Various definitions of ethnomathematics are presented, along with a framework covering areas of mathematics and mathematics education included in the term. Summaries and sample writings are offered for each of these areas: the cultural nature of mathematics, mathematical thought in different cultures, cultural history of mathematics, politics of mathematics, mathematics learning in different cultures, situated cognition including language and bilingualism, societal effects of mathematics education, and relationships between ethnomathematics and mathematics education. In addition, research is cited on the effects of culture on mathematics achievement, focusing on the transmission of cultural influences via popular media, parents, teachers, and students' own beliefs and attitudes. Examples of cultural influences on mathematics achievement are offered for Asian American, African American, Native American, and Hispanic students, as well as students from some foreign cultures. A research agenda for culture and mathematics is outlined that is relevant to understanding how mathematics is situated in a rural setting. (Contains 119 references.) (SV)

For people concerned with the future of diversity in the United States, the month of June 2003 was a momentous watershed. Nearly four decades earlier, President Lyndon B. Johnson first advocated affirmative action as a means to "seek not just freedom, but opportunity." June 2003 also saw the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on "Regents of the University of California v. Bakke," permitting race to be used as one criterion for admitting a diverse student body in higher education. It was likewise the eve of the seventh anniversary of the refusal of the Supreme Court to review the "Hopwood v. Texas" ruling by the Fifth District U.S. Court of Appeals, questioning educational diversity as a compelling state interest. Most urgently, the Supreme Court was preparing to issue a ruling on two University of Michigan admissions cases in "Gratz et al. v. Bollinger et al." and "Grutter v. Bollinger et al.," addressing whether diversity might be used as a factor for evaluating applicants. It was in this setting that over 50 executives from the public and nongovernmental sectors met on June 3, 2003, in the first Public Service Leadership Symposium organized by AED's Center for Leadership Development. The Ford Foundation-funded Symposium addressed the key issue of "Creating the Environment for Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Public Service Workplace--A Challenge to Senior Leadership." The occasion also marked the publication of a timely report published by AED, "Toward Diversity in Public Service." Also funded by the Ford Foundation, this report chronicled the impact of the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Fellowship Program, an initiative over twenty years old designed to bring diversity to public service by enabling U.S. students of color to gain experience in the public service professions and receive financial support for master's degrees in public policy and international affairs.

Most studies of the economic progress of African Americans have focused on income or narrower measures, such as learning, to assess the extent to which any gains relative to other ethnic groups can be attributed to factors such as declining racial discrimination, affirmative action policies, changes in industrial composition, or a narrowing of the educational gap between African Americans and the rest of the population. This analysis explores how African Americans have fared in terms of wealth, a less well-known factor. The main source of data is the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) (1984, 1989, and 1994). During the study period, the ratio of average wealth between African Americans and Whites remained almost constant. The analysis suggests that it will be very difficult for African Americans to make up significant ground relative to Whites with respect to wealth. If the racial income gap were closed, it would take 72 years for the racial wealth gap to close. The implications of these findings for public policy are discussed. An appendix contains information about the PSID data. (Contains 9 tables and 36 references.) (SLD)

The authors examine racial and ethnic differences in computer ownership and Internet usage using data from a survey conducted by the Nomura Research Institute in 2000. They focus on on-line shopping because few studies have examined racial and ethnic differences in e-commerce. The results indicate that blacks and Hispanics are less likely to own or use a computer than are non-Hispanic whites but are not less likely to shop on-line. Indeed, blacks appear to shop on-line more frequently and to spend more than non-Hispanic whites do. (Determinants of Computer Ownership and Usage in August 2000 CPS; and Descriptive Statistics for Socioeconomic Characteristics in Nomura Data Set are appended. Contains 2 footnotes and 6 tables.)

Since ethnicity is so often used in research on educational outcomes, this study examined the consistency with which students at Kapiolani Community College (Hawaii) reported their ethnic background. The study compared two different sources of ethnic data: the college application form and an interest inventory that all students fill out and submit with the application. A total of 3,993 records were examined. Analysis indicated that the percentage of inconsistency in reporting ethnicity ranged from a low of 16.2 percent in the case of Koreans to a high o 42.3 percent in the case of Hawaiians. Findings suggest that the more ethnically mixed students are the most likely to show discrepancies in reporting their ethnic background and that the specific way items on a questionnaire are phrased affect student choice. (DB)

This study examined personal and collegiate influences on Asian Pacific American college students' attitudes toward three racial/ethnic diversity issues. The study's organizing framework was a combination of Astin's I-E-O (inputs, environments, and outputs) model and Weidman's model of undergraduate socialization. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of undergraduates at a large Midwestern research university and included responses from 184 Asian Pacific American students who responded to surveys in both fall 1990 and winter 1994. The study examined students' racial attitudes in three areas: (1) affirmative action principles, (2) affirmative action practices, and (3) existence of discriminatory inequality. Chi-square distributions and multiple regression analysis revealed that gender, academic major, sponsored academic programming, and perceptions of the racial climate affected Asian Pacific American students' attitudes toward affirmative action and perceptions of inequality. Tables and an appendix provide detailed analysis of the results. (Contains 55 references.) (DB)

This study assessed the leadership styles and practices of 214 women student leaders at a large public university. Specifically, the study examined: (1) what leadership practices the women embraced; (2) what influence academic aspirations had on leadership practices and sex role characteristics; (3) what sex roles the women embraced; (4) which sex role characteristics influence leadership practices; (5) what are the racial/ethnic differences in leadership styles and practices; and (6) what impact mentors had on leadership styles and practices. Subjects completed the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), the Bem Sex Role Inventory, and a demographic data form. Results indicated that women who were leaders in high school had higher mean scores on all scales for both instruments. Women of color had slightly lower mean scores, compared to white students, on each of the LPI scales. Women who had three or more female mentors received slightly higher mean scores on each of the LPI scales than did women who had zero to two female mentors. Results supported a women's leadership ethos in which followers are empowered rather than controlled or managed, and suggest that women students should have more female role models and mentors and participate in activities to enhance their assertiveness. The special need for women of color to participate in leadership activities was noted. (Contains 30 references.) (DB)

This paper examines the social and economic impacts of Mexican immigration on Fresno (California). Since the early 1980s, immigration to California has been dominated by illegal immigrants from rural Mexico seeking agricultural jobs in rural California. This rural migration impacts urban centers in agricultural regions; these impacts lag the dramatic and obvious effects on rural communities and are primarily the result of movement of second-generation immigrants to urban areas. Data for Fresno and Fresno County are presented on population growth and trends, ethnic composition, employment, unemployment, income, poverty rates, ethnic groups in the school population, limited English proficiency among students, and welfare recipients. Intensive family interviews with farmworkers who had received legalized status during 1986 immigration reforms found that few had moved into nonagricultural jobs, pursued formal education or other training, or acquired fluency in English. Their children, however, had enrolled in public schools, had learned English, and were moving to Fresno and other urban areas seeking nonfarm employment. Nevertheless, the second generation's odyssey to urban areas has been generally unsuccessful. It is suggested that the "Latinization" of rural central California has made assimilation unnecessary for Mexican immigrants, and this lack of assimilation negatively affects their children when they move to other areas. Recommendations are offered concerning immigration policy, educational needs, and development of nonagricultural employment opportunities. An appendix outlines Fresno County employment by sector, 1973-90. (SV)

This publication presents a portrait of transitions from initial education to working life in the United States. Section I details the distribution of students at two basic levels: K-12 and tertiary education. It introduces a recurring concern--the distribution of students by ethnicity and socioeconomic status--and details the declining importance of vocational education in secondary schools. Section II focuses on tertiary educational attainment and the rise and impact of a highly competitive market for college and university education. Section III narrows the focus by presenting a series of matrixes detailing the rate at which young people transit from school to work and back again. It examines the diminished prospects of high school dropouts and how questions of ethnicity and gender further complicate the picture. Section IV sketches principal changes in the labor market over the last 2 decades and the shifting employment practices now changing the context for the transition from initial education to working life. Section V provides detail on the workings of the youth labor market and discusses briefly churning in the youth labor market. Section VI focuses on employers' assessment of young workers. Section VII describes the major initiatives--public and private--now in place to facilitate the transition from initial education to working life. Section VIII looks ahead to a time when the United States might have a less robust economy. (40 references) (YLB)

This paper examines some of the major problems and barriers faced by Hispanic/Latino youth who, despite high college enrollment rates, do not complete the four-year degree. An examination of five entering classes of Illinois college students found that only 30.2 percent of Hispanic students had completed their degrees at the end of four years, 33.8 percent were still enrolled in college, and 36 percent had dropped out. Factors identified as leading to lack of persistence included the overall cost of earning a degree, lack of academic preparation for college in junior and senior high school, poor articulation between community colleges and four-year institutions, limited access to resources, and family pressures. Several strategies are suggested for improving timely degree completion, including pre-college initiatives such as providing multicultural training for teaching faculty and support staff to dispel stereotypes, introducing concepts of academic achievement and excellence in elementary schools, emphasizing the concept of career opportunities available through post-secondary training, and involving members of the Hispanic community in school parent-teacher organizations. Post-secondary strategies suggested include developing bilingual brochures for high school counselors, parents, and advisors, providing information about fast-track programs, building schedules around student needs, initiating summer scholarship opportunities, and reevaluating general education requirements in colleges. (Contains 28 references.) (JM)

Using data from the Higher Education Research Institute, this study sought to create a profile that would identify college faculty involved in creating a curriculum that is more inclusive on racial and ethnic issues and to identify individual and institutional factors that facilitate efforts toward multicultural course content. The study analyzed data from a 1995-96 national survey of college faculty that reported responses from 33,986 full-time college and university faculty members at 384 two-year colleges, four-year colleges, and universities. The dependent variable was the inclusion of readings on racial and ethnic issues; independent variables were personal characteristics, professional background, individual goals and attitudes, institutional characteristics, and perceptions of institutional values and goals. Among the findings were: Puerto Rican/American faculty were more than twice as likely as white faculty to include racial and ethnic readings in courses, followed by Mexican American/Chicano and African American/Black faculty. These groups were three to four times more likely to include such readings than Asian American/Asian faculty, a finding possibly related to the high numbers of Asian Americans in the physical sciences. Other findings indicated some gender differences and a greater effect of individual characteristics than institutional environments. (Contains 39 references.) (DB)

This paper examines racial composition in the Dominican Republic from the pre-Columbian period, conquest, and colonization to the formation of the Dominican nation. Even in the prehistoric era, the culture of the area that was to become the Dominican Republic was diverse, with a variety of dialects among the native peoples. With the arrival of the Spanish to the New World, a link was added. African slaves added further to the diversity of the population of Santo Domingo, bringing a new cultural heritage and new farming techniques. Immigrants from the Canary Islands and Sephardic Jews arrived to contribute to the island culture, as did Puerto Ricans and Cubans who came in colonial times. English speaking Caribbean immigrants came at the end of the 19th century, and Chinese migration completed the cultural and racial picture of the Dominican Republic in the 20th century. With this diversity of racial groups, it is possible to speak of a hybrid national culture. By understanding this racial complexity, it becomes possible to understand the turbulent social history of this small nation. This background also permits the understanding of the Dominican educational system in terms of its historical framework without making a mistake in comparing it to the analogous educational system of the Americas. (SLD)

This working paper, part of an ongoing national study, presents preliminary analysis of public service professionalism among state public administrators in many states on the basis of data already produced by a continuing survey research project. Information about the data source and sample profiles are provided. Additionally, the research objectives for the paper are listed, and the questionnaire that was used to assess the research objectives is provided. The paper addresses the following questions: (1) What are the public service value orientations of MPA (Masters in Public Administration) and CPM (Certified Public Administration) graduates who are currently employed as state administrators? (2) What are the professional behavioral dimensions of these administrators? (3) What are the orientations of these administrators toward public Administration education? and (4) Do administrators with MPA/CPM education significantly differ from state administrators without compatible training/education? Results of the analyses are reported under the following headings: Value Orientations of MPA and CPM Graduates; Professional Behavioral Attributes among MPA and CPM Graduates; Public Administration Professionalism among MPA and CPM Graduates; and the Differences between the General Sample, MPA, and CPM Graduates. Contains 21 tables and 105 references. (GLR)

White, Black, and Hispanic students were studied during their transition from school or work to a community college. Students (N=71) at the College of Lake County (CLC) in Illinois attended focus groups formed according to race or ethnic group (White, Black, or Hispanic) in the spring and fall semesters to discuss their goals, experience, and feelings about the college environment. Findings from the fall focus groups indicated that all groups of students saw a direct connection between higher education and desirable employment. Most students in all three groups planned to get a degree or certificate at CLC. White students were most likely to plan on transferring to another school and least likely to plan on a CLC degree whereas Black students were most likely to plan on a CLC degree or certificate and least likely to plan on transferring. Findings from the spring focus group meetings indicated that many students found college harder than expected and all confirmed the importance of support from parents, family, friends, and faculty. Difficulties reported by many students included attending college part-time, not socializing with other students, and, for younger students, relating to older students in class. All expressed a comfortable feeling with campus diversity although their personal experiences in relationship to their race/ethnicity differed by group. Orientation and extracurricular activities were seen as helpful for students adjusting to college. (Contains 19 references.) (CK)