From Institute for Higher Education Policy July 2007

College Access for the Working Poor: Overcoming Burdens to Succeed in Higher Education (Courtney McSwain and Ryan Davis, IHEP) –

This report examines the precarious position of working poor students in US society. At the prospect of attending postsecondary education, these students realize it requires navigating through a minefield of conflicting work and family demands. The report calls attention to the need for policies and practices to raise expectations, enrollment, and completion rates of the working poor. 

Visit:  http://www.ihep.org/Pubs/PDF/College_Access_for_the_Working_Poor_2007_Report.pdf

From National Academy of Education 2007

Race-Conscious Policies for Assigning Students to Schools: Social Science Research and the Supreme Court Cases (Robert L. Linn and Kevin G. Welner, National Academy of Education) –

With the Supreme Court decision in the Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education case striking down race-conscious school assignments in Louisville, Ky. and in the related case in Seattle, Wash., the NAEd report outlines the current research relating to the policies challenged in the cases. Among the topics considered are: Academic Effects; Intergroup Relations and the Critical Mass Question; Perpetuation Theory and Long-Term Effects of School Desegregation; and Race-Neutral Alternatives.

Visit:  http://naeducation.org/Meredith_Report.pdf

From The Future of Children Policy Brief Fall 2006

            Opportunity in America: The Role of Education (Isabel Sawhill) –

Stagnating incomes for the middle class together with rising income inequality have raised questions about whether the United States remains the land of opportunity celebrated in the nation’s history and public philosophy.  This brief reviews the evidence on intergenerational mobility and the role of education in enabling less advantaged children to move up the economic ladder.  It concludes that, in many respects, the U.S. education system tends to reinforce rather than compensate for differences in family background.  Strengthening opportunity requires greater, and more effective, investments in education, especially for America’s youngest children.

Visit:  http://www.futureofchildren.org/usr_doc/Opportunity_Policy_Brief.pdf

From UNESCO Publishing 2007

Gender Indicators in Science, Engineering, and Technology: An Information Toolkit (Sophia Huyer and Gunnar Westholm) –

This UNESCO toolkit aims to provide better understanding of the numbers and needs at stake in science, engineering, and technology fields, including quantitative and qualitative indicators of the participation of women and under-represented groups, especially in developing countries.  It reviews the main theoretical and methodological approaches to data collection internationally and presents case studies on and new approaches to the collection and analysis of gender-disaggregated data.  In doing so, it speaks to planners and policy-makers.

            Visit:  http://publishing.unesco.org/details.aspx?Code_Livre=4535

From National Governors Association July 2007

            Innovation America: A Compact for Postsecondary Education (NGA) –

This paper focuses on how states can better align postsecondary education with their economic needs, positioning them to compete in the global economy both by producing a highly-skilled workforce and by unleashing postsecondary education institutions’ power to innovate.

Visit:  http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0707INNOVATIONPOSTSEC.PDF

From IHEP April 2007

            Model Institutions for Excellence 2007 National Report (Arnold Madison Kee and Jamie P. Merisotis) –

The Model Institutions for Excellence (MIE) program represents an 11-year-long investment by NSF and NASA to increase graduates in STEM fields.  This report outlines the strategies, impacts, and lessons learned through the MIE program to produce a replicable model for other institutions of higher education, especially those with significant minority student populations.

From The Civil Rights Project 2007

Charting the Future of College Affirmative Action: Legal Victories, Continuing Attacks, and New Research (eds. Gary Orfield, Patricia Marin, Stella M. Flores and Liliana M. Garces) –

This volume presents the views of leading scholars across the country on a variety of topics directly linked to the present situation, existing challenges, and the future of race-conscious policies in educational institutions across the country.  The Civil Rights Project offers the interpretations of researchers who have discussed their work in a roundtable and have responded to questions raised in a peer review process.  This eight-chapter report presents perspectives, rather than a cookbook for college authorities.

Visit:  http://www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/research/affirmativeaction/fullreport_charting_aa.php

From Business-Higher Education Forum 2007

An American Imperative: Transforming the Recruitment, Retention, and Renewal of Our Nation’s Mathematics and Science Teaching Workforce (BHEF) –

BHEF’s “An American Imperative” addresses the critical shortage of high quality mathematics and science teachers, the lack of which threatens the strength, innovation, and productivity of America's economy. The report proposes a comprehensive action plan to elevate the status of the teaching profession, and focuses on transforming three key components that contribute to a robust, world-class teaching workforce: recruitment, retention, and renewal.

Visit:  http://bhef.com/news/AnAmericanImperative.pdf