The Research Catalogue
New Findings and Insights on Institutional Practices and Academic Success

This is a digest of sources on issues addressed by the AAAS Capacity Center. It is updated periodically, sometimes with commentary. Web links, some accessible only to subscribers, are provided wherever possible, though we cannot assure their viability.

U.S. Doctorates in the 20th Century, National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statstics, Lori Thurgood, Mary J. Gollday, and Susan T. Hill (NSF 06-319), http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf06319/pdf/nsf06319.pdf

A new report released by NSF contains a plethora of statistics and lays out the history and growth of doctoral education in the U.S. and changing demographics from 1900 to 1999. The report traces aspects of the educational path followed by Ph.D.s, including sources of support, and provides information on leading undergraduate and graduate institutions. The last chapter, “After the Doctorate,“ examines the immediate plans of Ph.D.s and describes their sector of employment. This “encyclopedia“ serves as an important resource on American graduate education over the last 100 years.

Economic Impact of the Nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities, National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, October 2006, http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/2007178.pdf

According to a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, “the combined initial spending of all 101 [Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)] in their host communities totaled $6.6 billion,“ where public HBCUs accounted for 62 percent of this total amount. The IMPLAN (Impact Analysis for Planning) Professional Version 2.0 Modeling System was applied to determine the short-term economic impact on HBCUs and to ultimately document their economic role in the nation. Their results “quantify the important impacts that spending associated with the presence of an HBCU has on its host community.“

Math—Curriculum-based Interventions for Increasing Elementary School Math Achievement, What Works Clearinghouse, September 2006, http://www.whatworks.ed.gov

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) review focuses on elementary curriculum-based math interventions that specify clear learning goals for students and assess outcomes related to mathematics achievement. The WWC has reviewed the “Everyday Mathematics“ and “Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics“ interventions. To date, sixty-six studies have been found on elementary school math (meets evidence standards = 1; meets evidence standards with reservations = 4; does not meet evidence screens = 61). Click here for more information.

Gender Equity in Higher Education: 2006, Jacqueline King, American Council on Education, 2006

This report updates the findings of its 2000 counterpart published by the American Council on Education (ACE) and “contains new and more detailed analyses of college enrollment. Among the most striking changes since 2000 are the widening gender gap among white and Hispanic traditional-age undergraduates, and continued growth in the percentage of female undergraduates.“ The report affirms that “women's success is not coming at the expense of men, but rather is the result of women's college participation rising faster than mens'.“

Minorities in Higher Education: Twenty-Second Annual Status Report, American Council on Education, October 20, 2006

“Minority-student enrollment at colleges and universities increased by 51 percent in the decade ending in 2003, an improvement driven by growth in the number of Hispanic and minority-female students.“ This report summarizes data on rates of high school completion, college enrollment, college graduation, attainment of professional and doctoral degrees and employment in higher education. “Although students of color made significant gains in college enrollment, African American and Hispanic students still lag behind their white peers in the rate at which they enroll in college.“

The following was provided, with comments, from the Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology (CPST), www.cpst.org:

2005 Catalyst Census of Women Corporate Officers and Top Earners of the Fortune 500, Catalyst, July 26, 2006, http://www.catalyst.org

According to a census study released by Catalyst, the rate of women's advancement to top corporate officer positions has slowed. “Projected trends indicates [that] it could take 40 years for women to achieve parity with men in corporate officer ranks.“ This is especially true for women of color. Women held only 6.4 percent of top positions, while women of color held just 1.7 percent. Men of color fared only slightly better at 6.4 percent. This census study “is a wake-up call to business leaders“ and “demonstrates a persistent uneven playing field.“

Small Numbers of Black Men at Flagship State Universities, Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, October 12, 2006, http://www.jbhe.com

A study on black students and faculty members at the 50 states' “flagship“ universities shows that the representation of black students and faculty “often lags far behind the Black share of the population of the state“ (see graph below). Some universities had black student and faculty representation at or above that of Black's representation in the state's general population. However, these states had a low percentage of Blacks in their populations. “The study recommends increased outreach to black male students and the continuation of affirmative action admissions programs at universities.“