Footnotes

1. These "equalizing" programs include Head Start, busing, equalizing aid, etc.  [Back]

2. The "New Basics" include four units of English, three units of science, three units of social studies, three units of mathematics, and a half unit of computer science. College-bound students are advised to add two units of foreign language to the recommended list of requirements.  [Back]

3. A high-quality curriculum refers to those courses normally provided to those students in an academic, college preparatory track.  [Back]

4. Some policy makers, educators, and parents would argue that this is an overly narrow viewpoint which neglects two key issues. One, a knowledge of music and art can enhance the overall education of a child. Two, this definition undervalues the benefits of vocational education, which educators, such as John Dewey, applaud for the relevance it brings to the classic curriculum.  [Back]

5. My thanks to Ron Danforth, an expert in the contents of the New York State Basic Educational Data System, who was instrumental in the proper classification of courses.  [Back]

6. To the extent that this paper under-counts Regents class periods because it uses only mathematics and science Regents classes, this portion may be bigger. However, unless the portion of student class hours for Regents English, Regents foreign languages, and Regents social studies varies dramatically over time, the longitudinal analysis should still hold true.  [Back]

7. The discussion is based on a two-tailed t-test with a cut-off level of a = 0.05.  [Back]

8. These models determine the partial correlation between selected variables and the two measures of curriculum standards; they are not behavioral models.  [Back]

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