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This document raises several discussion topics concerning low-income high school students in relation to Pell grants and Advanced Placement (AP) classes. It points out that bright, low-income high school students can perform college-level work either by taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes or by attending classes at a local college. AP classes are costly for the school district because they involve higher salaries for well-educated teachers, have smaller class sizes, and require supplementary teacher-training activities. Additionally, these classes may duplicate those already offered at local colleges. It is suggested that needy high school students be able to access Pell grants to gain college credits. College classes allow students to choose from a wider course curriculum and offer the advantage of reaching more students than can be served by AP classes--all while utilizing an existing educational infrastructure. Sections in this document include the following: (1) Higher Education Opportunities for High School Students; (2) Federal Support for Advanced Placement Programs; (3) Drawbacks of the Federal Advanced Placement Incentive Program [Significantly Higher Costs; Duplication of Effort; Limited Reach of the Advanced Placement Incentive Program]; (4) An Alternative: Pell Grants for Low-Income High school Students [More Options for Students]; and (5) Supplementing, Not Supplanting, Programs for Higher Education. (Contains 30 footnotes.)

This report uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study (a nationwide survey that collects data on married and non-married parents at the time of the child's birth) to determine how much marriage could reduce poverty among couples who are not married at the time of birth. To determine the impact of marriage on children's and mothers' poverty, the study estimated what the mothers' poverty rate would be if they remained single, calculated what the poverty rate would be if the mothers and fathers married, then noted differences between poverty rates. The effect of marriage on poverty was calculated according to three scenarios regarding the mother's employment after childbirth (zero annual employment, part-time employment, and full-time employment). Data analysis indicates that marriage would dramatically reduce poverty among non-married mothers who are romantically involved with the fathers at the time of the child's birth. Specifically, if these mothers do not marry but remain single, about 55 percent will be poor. By contrast, if all mothers married their child's father, the poverty rate would fall to less than 17 percent. Thus, on average, marriage would reduce the odds that a mother and a child will live in poverty by more than 70 percent. A technical appendix describes how researchers used the Fragile Families survey and database to simulate the effects of marriage on child poverty. (Contains 15 footnotes.) (SM)

This paper examines whether marriage is effective in reducing child poverty and notes the comparative effects of marriage and maternal education on combatting child poverty. Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth indicate that marriage plays a powerful role in lifting children out of poverty. While both marriage and maternal education play a positive role in alleviating child poverty, stable marriage has a far stronger effect than does maternal schooling. Maternal education without marriage is generally ineffective in reducing child poverty. Children raised by never-married mothers are nine times more likely to live in poverty than are children born and raised by two parents in an intact marriage. Marriage has a significant effect on reducing child poverty, even if the marriage does not last throughout the child's entire childhood. Being raised in a married two-parent family for just half of one's childhood reduces poverty as much as adding 4 years to a mother's education. The paper concludes that the most effective public policy to reduce child poverty would encourage young women both to complete high school and enter into a healthy marriage before they have children. (Contains 27 footnotes.)(SM)

This report discusses how the School Choice Scholarships Foundation, a philanthropic, privately funded voucher program, selected students to receive vouchers and reviews the results of a study on vouchers and low-income, African-American students. New York City students were selected to receive the vouchers via a lottery. During the application and eligibility process, students took baseline achievement tests and parents completed questionnaires about their satisfaction with their children's current school, involvement with their children's schooling, and demographic characteristics. These data were used to assess the effectiveness of vouchers in raising student achievement. Results indicated that standardized reading and mathematics test scores for black students who had used their vouchers to attend private schools for 3 years were 9.2 percentile points higher than those of comparable black students who did not attend private schools. Overall test scores for black voucher recipients who attended private schools for at least 3 years were, on average, 7.6 percentile points higher than those of black students who never attended private schools. Parent satisfaction with their children's schools was higher among parents of voucher students. (SM)

This study explored multicultural education at a minority university in the Pacific, the University of Guam. The study represented Phase 2 of a research project that began in 1999 with the goal of further understanding the practice of multicultural pedagogy in higher education. Phase 1 measured the attitudes and perceptions of faculty members toward diversity and multiculturalism, while Phase 2 attempted to narrow the focus to the actual practice of multiculturalism in the classroom and curriculum. Through a survey completed by 65 faculty members (33% of the faculty) and descriptive analysis, a picture emerged of the link between perception and actual practice. It was found that faculty ranked high on their willingness to engage and incorporate multicultural strategies in their teaching. Many often did not feel, however, that they had the skills or knowledge to do so. Many also felt that they were not well equipped to deal with a multicultural environment. While the data suggest that many are willing and open to diversity and multiculturalism, the faculty harbor ethnocentric belief systems. It is argued that what seems like contradiction, is more likely to be the leaking of underlying attitudes and beliefs in an environment influenced by political correctness. (Contains 7 tables and 31 references.) (Author/SLD)

This report analyzes computer usage in the classrooms of teachers who are at least moderately well-prepared in the use of computers for reading instruction. Data from the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) database were used to analyze the influence of computers on academic achievement. The NAEP, which is administered in 4th, 8th, and 12th grade, provides test scores as well as background information on students, their teachers, and their school administrators. This analysis considered the effect of computers in the classroom by analyzing six factors: frequent in-class computer use by trained teachers; race and ethnicity; parents' educational attainment; number of reading materials in the home; free or reduced-price lunch participation; and gender. Results indicate that students with at least weekly computer instruction by well-prepared teachers do not perform any better on the NAEP reading test than do students who have less or no computer instruction. Variables such as race, income, home environment, and parents' college attendance are all significant factors in explaining differences in reading test scores. Girls score slightly higher than boys on the NAEP reading exam in 4th and 8th grade. An appendix presents results of the statistical models. (SM)

This study used data from the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading examination to analyze the effect of class size on academic achievement. The NAEP is administered in 4th, 8th, and 12 grades to measure academic achievement in various fields. Besides providing data on academics, it offers information on student, teacher, and administrator background. This study analyzed six factors: class size; race and ethnicity; parents' educational attainment; number of reading materials in the home; free or reduced price lunch participation; and gender. Results indicate that on average, being in a small class does not increase the likelihood that a student will attain a higher score on the NAEP reading test. Children in the smallest classes do not score higher than students in the largest classes. An appendix presents results of the statistical models. (SM)

This report discusses current research findings on the effects of peers and social interaction on academic achievement, then analyzes current national data, comparing results to the existing academic literature. Data from the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) database on reading were used to test the influences of peer attitudes on academic achievement. The NAEP examines academic achievement in various fields. It is administered to students in 4th, 8th, and 12th grade. Besides providing data on academics, it offers information on student, teacher, and administrator background. This study analyzes six factors: the effect of peers; race and ethnicity; parents' educational attainment; number of reading materials in the home; free or reduced price lunch participation; and gender. Results indicate that the peer effect is a strong influence on academic achievement, particularly in 4th grade. The significance of peer effect wanes by 8th grade. Family background characteristics also have an important influence. Both have effects that are independent from the effects of gender and race/ethnicity. An appendix presents the results of statistical models. (SM)

This paper explored the attitudes of college faculty toward diversity and multiculturalism at the University of Guam, which is characterized by the Department of Education as a minority institution; the faculty, on the other hand, is less diverse (60 percent Caucasian). The research explored the dynamic between the ethnic composition of the student body and the faculty, seeking to determine whether significant differences existed between female and male faculty members; whether there were differences among faculty members of different ethnic backgrounds; and if there was an interaction between gender and ethnicity. A questionnaire mailed to all 205 full-time faculty at the University of Guam (response rate approximately 51 percent) found that females were more cooperative in responding than males. Female faculty were also more interested in issues of diversity and in integrating multicultural perspectives into their teaching than their male cohorts. It was found that minority faculty tended to associate and collaborate in teaching and research with other minority faculty; Caucasian faculty were less inclined to associate or collaborate with other Caucasians and more open to developing relationships with non-Caucasian faculty. The study also noted that amount of teaching experience was negatively correlated with attitudes toward diversity and multiculturalism. (Contains 23 references.) (RH)

To test whether differences in academic performance exist between public and private schools, this report analyzes the mathematics scores from the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) taken by African American fourth and eighth graders in the District of Columbia's public and private schools. The typical, or average, African American eighth grader in a D.C. Catholic school performs better in math than 72% of his or her public school peers. The gap of 6.5% in fourth grade expands to 8.2% in eighth grade. Taken separately, the statistical effect of Catholic schooling is more important than a family's income or belonging to an intact family. In fact, the impact of Catholic schooling in Washington, D.C. has a greater effect on students than decreasing class size. Two appendixes contain discussions of the results of the statistical models used and a projection model for the mother's education. (SLD)

Educational choice can improve educational achievement and states' bottom lines. Not only do choice programs help students from lower-income families attend schools that they otherwise might not be able to attend, but they can also save money in the process. A record number of state legislatures have considered school choice legislation this year, indicating that such plans are gaining in popularity. (Contains 9 endnotes and 1 table.)

On April 5, 2005, the Georgetown Public Policy Institute released its first of several reports on the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. The 100+ page report describes the characteristics of the initial group of participating students and their families and offers important first-year comparative data. Moreover, the report provides important early evidence that the Washington, D.C., program is on-track for the type of positive results seen in other choice programs. Congress and the Bush Administration should continue to support this program and its statistical evaluation, which is critical to gauge success. The major findings of this first-year evaluation report are summarized in this memo. (Contains 21 notes.)