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In 2011, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) founded the Center for Community College Advancement to provide training and resources to help community colleges build and sustain effective fundraising, alumni relations, and communications and marketing programs. A goal for the center is to collect data on best practices at community colleges. This white paper summarizes the results of a survey on foundation operations at community colleges across the United States and Canada. The purpose of the survey was to help community college staff benchmark their foundation experiences and programs with their peers. Participation in the survey was strong, with representatives from 122 foundations in the United States and Canada having contributed data (approximately 10 percent of the universe of institutions). Their responses revealed that foundations have evolved into significant contributors at community colleges through consistent positive results, service to a variety of stakeholders and leveraging of political capital--all while maintaining a low staff count and limited expenditures. Two appendices provide data tables and the survey questions.

The Decennial Census is the most important data collection activity undertaken by the U.S. federal statistical system. Because census data are used to apportion Congress and draw redistricting lines for thousands of state and local single-member districts to meet the one-person/one-vote guidelines, the census is at the heart of the political system. Also, census data are used to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds each year, and they are widely used by other government statistical agencies to calculate rates or design surveys. Children are the age group most often missed in the Decennial Census--the reasons range from their living in hard-to-count neighborhoods to the fact that the census form only has space for complete demographic information on six household members. The fact that children are the age group missed most often in the Decennial Census comes as a surprise to many people, even those who have closely followed census issues. Despite the long-standing problem of children being missed in the Decennial Census, little has been done to examine this issue. Missed children might be referred to as the "overlooked undercount" because the undercount of children has been a persistent problem that has been given relatively little attention over time. The high undercount of children challenges the image that the undercount is made up mostly of young adults and people who dodge the census-takers for nefarious reasons. Unlike adults, who may bear some responsibility for making sure they are counted in the census, children are dependent on others to make sure they are included. Yet in 1980, 1990, and 2000, Census Bureau data show children, particularly young children, are one of the groups most likely to be missed in the census. This publication provides some background and information on the undercount of children, describes some theories about why children are missed in the census, and outlines a few ideas for reaching the parents of young children with a message about the importance of being counted in the census. (Contains 2 figures, 1 box, 10 tables and 37 endnotes.)

The United States has an extensive network of publicly financed and managed schools and provides almost no financial support to private schools. One of the most fundamental justifications for the status quo is the hypothesis that the regulation of private schools cannot adequately ensure that the desired social benefits of schooling will be produced. In particular, there is concern that private schools may focus on producing skills and knowledge with clear individual benefits and place less value on the external social benefits that are derived from instilling a variety of civic values and beliefs. In this study, the author presents new empirical evidence on this issue by evaluating the relative effects of Catholic schooling on civic participation as an adult. This evidence is based on two nationally representative longitudinal surveys conducted by the US Department of Education: High School and Beyond (HS&B) and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS88). He finds that students who attended Catholic school in 10th grade were substantially more likely to vote as adults and that this relationship is generally robust to conditioning on a wide variety of observed demographic, socioeconomic and attitudinal measures. He then attempts to assess whether these results reflect uncorrected selection biases by exploiting three of the instrumental variables that have been employed in recent studies of other youth outcomes. He finds that bivariate-probit and 2SLS estimates based on these instruments suggest that Catholic schooling has even larger effects on voter turnout and possibly negative effects on volunteering. However, he then assesses whether these instruments provide a valid basis for identifying the effects of Catholic schooling using an approach introduced by Altonji, Elder and Taber (2002). The results suggest that system estimates based on these instruments may often be plagued by large, confounding biases. He concludes that, though there is a robust partial correlation between Catholic schooling and adult civic engagement, one cannot completely dismiss the possibility that this reflects selection biases. Nonetheless, the lack of clear evidence that Catholic schools are inferior at promoting adult civic participation does raise questions about the effectiveness of public schools at achieving one of their most fundamental goals. An appendix presenting additional data is included. (Contains 21 footnotes and 8 tables.) [This working paper was produced by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE).]

This paper investigates the real living standards and poverty status of U.S. children in the 1990s compared to the children in 17 other nations, including Europe, Scandinavia, Canada, and Australia. The analysis is based on the Luxembourg Income Study database. It was found that American children have lower real spendable income than do comparable children in almost every other nation studied. In contrast, high income U.S. children are far better off than their counterparts in other nations. Persistently high child poverty rates were also found in the United States when compared with other nations. Demographic factors and the effectiveness of tax and transfer policies in reducing child poverty are also explored, and the paper concludes with a discussion of results and their policy implications. An appendix presents two tables of countries studied and poverty figures. (Contains 3 text tables, 8 figures, and 28 references.) (Author/SLD)

This paper offers a comprehensive analysis of the information from the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) regarding adults with low literacy and numeracy proficiency. The paper first describes the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of these populations. Although, they are more likely than the rest of the population to exhibit certain characteristics, such as lower levels of educational attainment, lower rates of unemployment or more disadvantaged backgrounds, adults with low literacy are found in among all socio-demographic groups and in all walks of life. The paper then explores the frequency with which adults with low proficiency engage in the reading, writing and numeracy practices and the relationship between these practices and a range of social and economic outcomes. For most outcomes, levels of engagement in literacy practices appear to be as strong predictors as proficiency, indicating the importance of encouraging more intense use of these skills both in and outside of work. The unique data from the Survey of Adult Skills regarding performance on the simple reading tasks (the so called "reading components") is also analysed. Adults with low proficiency are found to be able to easily recognise commonly used words in printed form but often have difficulty with processing the logic of sentences and reading extended passages for basic meaning. Adults with low proficiency are considerably less likely than their more proficient peers to participate in formal or non-formal adult education or training programmes, which is mostly due to the socio-demographic and employment characteristics of this population. However, the lower participation rates among the low proficient adults does not appear to be a consequence of their lack of motivation as much as of the presence of various obstacles to participation, such as lack of time and the cost of training. PIAAC Methodology for Measuring AET [Adult education and training] and two supplemental tables are provided in an annex. Individual chapters contain references.

"Turn and Face the Strain: Age Demographic Change and the Near Future of American Education" outlines a fierce battle looming between the needs of public health care and education. A crisis is fast approaching that makes comprehensive improvement of America's public schools more important than ever. Faced with rapidly expanding populations of the young and the old, working age taxpayers will experience the growing strain of insufficient tax revenue to fund public services from now until the foreseeable future. One solution to the crisis: an American education system that leads to a college and career-ready generation prepared for high-wage job earnings in a competitive global economy. This two-page policy brief summarizes the primary components of the predicament and choice options for a changing demography. [For the full report, see ED574383.]

The low fertility of Western industrial nations is likely to become a permanent condition; in the absence of immigration, populations with below-replacement fertility will eventually decline in size. But at the same time fertility is declining, international migration to the West is accelerating. Legal immigration to the United States rose from about 300,000 per year in the early 1960s to more than 570,000 per year in the early 1980s; the United States is now accepting nearly twice as many immigrants and refugees as all other nations combined. Immigration from Third World countries contributes to population growth in the following ways: (1) the addition of the immigrants themselves; and (2) immigrant fertility, which is often higher than native fertility. A stationary population, characterized by a fixed size and an unchanging age-sex structure, is forming in the United States; the indigenous population is diminishing, and a new population of immigrants and their descendants is emerging. This is evidenced by America's Hispanic population, which is growing three times faster than the total population. The potential for further change in the ethnic, racial, and linguistic balances of national populations is perhaps greater in Europe than in the United States. Concerns have been raised that immigrants are failing to adapt to the culture of their new home: increasingly immigrants are the focus of tension and the targets of abuse and violence. Recommendations for public policy are suggested. A list of references is included. (BJV)

For this report, the first of a series, the National School Desegregation Research Project obtained federal data for the 1984-85 school year, which show a substantial change in the racial composition of American's public schools since 1968, when data were first collected. The white majority is shrinking, due to a large decline in fertility and a small shift to private schools. Concurrently, the Hispanic, Asian and American Indian enrollments are growing very rapidly, due to higher fertility levels and large-scale immigration. The proportion of Black students is growing most substantially in the old industrial belt of the north, not in the south. The west now has almost as high a proportion of minority enrollment as has the south. The United States is becoming a much more multiracial society in which problems of equal education and race relations within schools and other central institutions will be even more critical than they have been in the past. The statistics foretell a changing society, with large majorities of "minorities" in public schools. Groups that have traditionally been less successful in public education and have been the targets of discrimination will be larger and larger fractions of the school population. (PS)

The Benchmarking Alumni Relations in Community Colleges white paper features key data on alumni relations programs at community colleges across the United States. The paper compares results from 2015 and 2012 across such areas as the structure, operations and budget for alumni relations, alumni data collection and management, alumni communications and engagement strategy, as well as fundraising activities with alumni. Survey questions are appended. [Foreword by Paul Heaton.]

Recent new patterns in Mexico-United States migration are examined briefly, and the implications of each for planning and implementing adult education programs are discussed. The patterns noted include: (1) migration of greater distances and from new areas in Mexico, both to border areas in Mexico and to locations in California and the West Coast; (2) increases in migration flow; (3) and "shuttle migration," or movement back and forth between home and work areas. It is predicted that United States-Mexico economic integration will increase existing difficulties in providing adequate and appropriate education. A substantial investment in educational services is seen as necessary and justifiable. In addition, services must be tailored to the specific demographic characteristics of different migrant populations (older, traditional migrants, younger populations motivated to learn new language and vocational skills, and women) in order to be most effective. (MSE) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)

This white paper, "Understanding Underrepresented Populations in the Business School Pipeline," examines the shifting US racial and ethnic demographics and projected growth among US minority populations and the challenges--and incentives--these developments pose for US business schools to increase the opportunities for minority students to participate in a graduate management education. Historically, many US underrepresented populations (URP), particularly African Americans and Hispanic Americans, have had disproportionately small representation in the business school pipeline. There are no easy solutions to changing these dynamics and smarter, more customized approaches to recruiting these prospective students will be required of business schools to bring more of these students through their doors.

Introduction: This article reports on a study of 196 teachers who shared their experiences and opinions related to how they were taught to use the Cranmer abacus. Methods: In February and March 2012, the participants completed an online survey to gather information about their preparation in using and beliefs about computation with the Cranmer abacus. Results: The participants resided in both the United States and Canada and had various years of experience. The majority ("n" = 112) reported learning computation with an abacus in their personnel preparation programs. The participants rated their level of agreement with belief statements. Statements with the highest level of agreement included one that indicated that when sighted individuals use pencil and paper for computation, an individual with a visual impairment should be allowed to use an abacus, and another that an abacus is an accessible and inexpensive tool. Discussion: The self-report data from 196 participants indicated that computation with an abacus is taught in university programs, although there is variability in what computational skills are taught and what methods are used. There was a higher level of agreement with statements that implied the positive attributes of using an abacus for computation than with those that implied negative attributes (for example, the abacus is obsolete). Implications for practitioners: University preparation programs are continuing to teach some level of abacus computation skills to their students. It is not clear if the level of instruction is adequate. Further studies are warranted that examine what pre- and in-service teachers of students with visual impairments are learning and how they are learning in their university preparation programs and through other methods.

In recent years, a boom in immigration and high birth rates among the foreign-born population has led to significant growth in the number of children in the United States who speak a language other than English at home. This demographic change presents a challenge to the public school system, where English proficiency is central to a child's success. The vast majority of these children are legal citizens, yet as a nation, we have yet to determine how to meet this challenge. State education leaders in Illinois have first-hand experience with these challenges as the immigrant population in the state has grown in recent decades, and has spread to suburban and rural areas where many schools aren't yet accustomed to serving students who are not proficient in English. Illinois is one of the first states to try to tackle this problem as early as possible--before children enroll in kindergarten. While most state programs for ELL students begin when a child is enrolled in kindergarten or first grade, Illinois is in the process of extending its ELL program into state-funded pre-K programs. This will affect a sizeable portion of children in the state-funded Preschool for All program. Recent data shows that 34.2 percent of Preschool for All graduates in Chicago and 13.1 percent of Preschool for All graduates outside Chicago receive bilingual services when they moved on to kindergarten. The change will, the state hopes, create more continuity between pre-K and the early grades of school when students are developing crucial language skills, and reduce remediation for students in later grades by building important language skills early on. This paper takes a deep look at how the state came to see a need for these policies and how it is implementing them on a large scale. It also highlights two parts of Illinois's approach that merit consideration by other states with large or growing ELL populations. First, by expanding into pre-K, the state has created opportunities to align ELL programs across the early school years, opening the possibilities for districts to adopt a PreK-3rd approach. A glossary is included. (Contains 57 notes.)

The foreign-born population of the US numbered 31.1 million in 2000, which amounts to 11.1% of the total population, an increase of 57% over 1990. According to the 2000 Census, 1 of every 5 children in the United States is a child of immigrants--that is, either a child who is an immigrant or who has at least one immigrant parent. Official poverty rates for children in immigrant families are substantially higher than for children in native-born families (21% versus 14%). Nearly half have incomes below 200% of the poverty level, compared with 34% of native children. One young person in 10 suffers from mental illness severe enough to cause some level of impairment in their lives, yet nearly 75% of them do not get the care they need. In the mental health care setting, culture affects how people label and communicate distress, explain the causes of mental health problems, perceive mental health providers, and respond to treatment. This paper offers suggestions on how mental health providers can build cultural competence. (Contains 1 figure.)

This study investigated the construct validity of an online version of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) for use with community college students. The MSLQ which is an 81-item, self-report inventory which consists of 2 sections and 15 scales that assesses college students' motivational orientations and learning strategies. The sample consisted of 158 participants from four community colleges located in the Western United States. A reliability analysis produced coefficient alphas which ranged from .49 to .93 for the scale scores. When compared to data from the normative sample, there was consistency in the coefficient alphas for 6 of the 15 scales. Of the areas of inconsistencies, the differences in values for coefficient alpha ranged from .05 to .20. Results indicate that while the MSLQ may be valid for assessing motivational and learning strategies, users must take caution when interpreting scores obtained from different cultures. Suggestions for further research discussed. (Contains 2 tables.)

This paper extends previous numerical results of the Flexible Equal Employment Opportunity (FEEO) model, a goal programing model (developed by A. Charnes, W. W. Cooper, K. A. Lewis, and R. J. Niehaus) consisting of Markoff transition elements imbedded in a goal programing framework with priorities that allow for element alteration to provide the organizational flexibility (in policies of promotion, recruitment, and training) necessary to achieve long-range equal employment opportunity (EEO) goals while still preserving the high priority of meeting the shorter range day-to-day operating goals of the organization. In the first section of the paper EEO goal-setting procedures are documented. Focus is on demographic considerations (making goals realistic from the labor market point of view) and upward mobility (consideration of affirmative action policies for the internal staff). A second section provides a numerical example with actual Navy data of the extended version of the model through which internal promotion and upward mobility considerations can be evaluated explicitly. A discussion is then provided of the implementation and continuing research possibilities. (JT)

Because of a concern by the Alaska State Department of Education that results from the American College Test (ACT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) are not being used to their fullest advantage to improve secondary instruction, the use of these assessment results by other states was studied. A two-page survey and request for copies of state reports including SAT and ACT performance were sent to each state department of education. Responses were returned by 47 states and Puerto Rico. Thirty-one received the national ACT report, and 33 received an ACT report for their states. Forty-four received a national SAT report, and 43 received the SAT report for their states. Most states reported this information to the public, and most included information for multiple years. In general, results were not used for planning or for program development. States usually rely on the local school or district to use the information in local planning and goal setting. Examination of survey responses suggests that the most useful information about these assessments reported to the general public includes the number of students taking college entrance examinations and the number completing core courses, as well as demographic information, aggregated average ACT and SAT performance, and an analysis for each school and district that shows score patterns over the past 5 years. Seven charts contain study findings, and the study questionnaire is included. (SLD)

This paper presents facts about Hispanic higher education. Facts on the following topics are presented: (1) Hispanic demographics; (2) Hispanic academic attainment; (3) Hispanic higher education; and (4) Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). A 2015-2016 Fall enrollment snapshot of Hispanic undergraduate students is also provided. [For the 2012 version of this fact sheet, see ED537727.]