Different world languages have a lot of contact with each other and have had different influences on one another. Cognates, words which are similar across two or more languages in some aspects, especially with regard to pronunciation, portray an interesting and relevant aspect of foreign/second language translation and research. This study intended to identify a type of cognate words called false cognates in Persian and English, words which have the same form in two languages but represent different meanings, and tried to study and determine the historical relations between English and Persian words. It also aimed to trace their route back from Proto Indo-European languages to the modern languages. To this end, the related literature was gone through and a sufficient corpus of information has been revealed. Afterwards, authentic monolingual dictionaries in both Farsi and English languages were consulted to provide definitions for the cognates and allow for their cross-linguistic comparison. The findings revealed that most of such problematic cognates with different meanings in Farsi and English as found through this study are likely to be confusing and deceptive for Farsi-speaking EFL learners. The findings also pointed to the need for this line of research to receive more scholarly attention. The study of true and false cognates has some implications for contrastive analysts, error analysts, translators, translation theorists, foreign language teachers, curriculum designers, as well as lexicographers and lexicologists.
August 1970
Geographic Focus:
Education and Literacy;Men;Race and Ethnicity
This Schott Foundation report details four-year graduation rates during the 2012-13 school year of black, white, and Latino males nationally, by state, and in major urban districts, finding that a systemic lack of equity in the quality of educational supports and resources for black and Latino students creates an "opportunity gap."
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America-United States
Education and Literacy;Race and Ethnicity
By most measures, the educational attainment of blacks is currently at the highest it has ever been. After decades of stagnation, high school completion rates for blacks have increased rapidly since 2000. This issue brief will focus on the high school status completion rates of blacks ages 20 to 24 since 1975. Future reports will focus on other issues facing young blacks, including college graduation rates, unemployment rates, wages, and poverty rates.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States
Education and Literacy;Government Reform
The federal government's substantial fiscal investment in higher education recognizes that postsecondary education is a linchpin in the nation's social and economic strength. The government helps ensure that colleges and universities continue to contribute broadly to the fabric of American society. The Department of Education is charged with developing procedures to carry out laws passed by Congress in regard to higher education and with overseeing institutional compliance. Institutions of higher learning recognize the important role regulations play in the oversight of federal investments.
This report discovered that over time, oversight of higher education by the Department of Education has expanded and evolved in ways that undermine the ability of colleges and universities to serve students and accomplish their missions. The compliance problem is exacerbated by the sheer volume of mandates -- approximately 2,000 pages of text -- and the reality that the Department of Education issues official guidance to amend or clarify its rules at a rate of more than one document per work day. As a result, colleges and universities find themselves enmeshed in a jungle of red tape, facing rules that are often confusing and difficult to comply with. They must allocate resources to compliance that would be better applied to student education, safety, and innovation in instructional delivery. Clearly, a better approach is needed.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States
The Road Map Project's annual report card shows data on 29 indicators of student success, which are important measures related to student achievement from cradle through college. Data in the report are often disaggregated by district, student race/ethnicity or income level to illustrate the region's challenges and progress.
The Road Map Project is a region-wide collective impact effort aiming to dramatically improve education results in South King County and South Seattle, the county's areas of greatest need. The project's goal is to double the number of students who are on track to graduate from college or earn a career credential by 2020, and to close opportunity gaps. Seven school districts -- Auburn, Kent, Federal Way, Highline, Renton, Seattle (south-end only) and Tukwila -- are among the hundreds of partners working together toward the Road Map Project's 2020 goal. The 2014 results report includes a special focus on whether the region is on track to reach the goal.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States (Western) / Washington / King County / Seattle
The development of large and interconnected data sets has awakened educators to the value of strategically using data to inform education policy and improve instruction. Recognizing that using data effectively is critical to improving student achievement, numerous organizations and agencies, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, are supporting school districts and other education agencies in building their capacity to generate and use data.
Even with essential data systems and supports in place, districts face challenges related to the strategic use of data. Many districts do not know what questions to ask, what data to use, or how to interpret findings to improve policy and practice. This brief discusses four key recommendations related to the strategic use of data and suggests ways districts can overcome challenges associated with these recommendations. Data and supporting examples in this brief are drawn from work conducted as part of the evaluation of strategic data use initiatives.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America-United States
This publication brings together in partnership, the Pell Institute with the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy (AHEAD) of University of Pennsylvania. Both organizations have a core mission to promote a more open, equitable, and democratic higher education system within the United States. The Pell Institute has a special mission to promote more equitable opportunity for low-income, first generation, and students with disabilities.
The purpose of the Indicators of Higher Education Equity report is to report the status of higher education equity in the United States and to identify policies and practices that promote and hinder progress and illustrate the need for increased support of policies, programs and practices that not only improve overall attainment in higher education but also create greater equity in higher education attainment.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States
Results from this study show that upon transferring to a four-year school, community college students do more than just "get by" -- they equal or surpass their peers at their new schools. Recent analyses from the National Student Clearinghouse indicate that nationally 60 percent of community college students who manage to transfer earn their bachelor's degree within four years. The highest performing college students do even better: 97 percent of Cooke Scholars earn their bachelor's degree in three years. Since 59 percent of bachelor's degree students graduate within six years, transfer students are completing their four-year degrees actually at a higher rate than students who came straight out of high school. The recent research and the experience of the Cooke Scholars makes it simply undeniable that community college transfer students are just as competent as students who begin their studies at a four-year college, and maybe more so.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States
