These proceedings gather contributions presented at the 3rd International Conference on Applied Operational Research (ICAOR 2011) in Istanbul, Turkey, August 24-26, 2011, published in the series Lecture Notes in Management Science (LNMS). The conference covers all aspects of Operational Research and Management Science (OR/MS) with a particular emphasis on applications.

We are pleased to welcome readers to this issue of the Journal of Applied Operational Research (JAOR), Volume 4, Number 3. The journal reports on developments in all aspects of operational research, including the latest advances and applications. It is a primarily goal of the journal to focus on and publish practical case studies which illustrate real-life applications.

The Condition of Education 2020 summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. The report presentsnumerous indicators on the status and condition of education. The indicators represent a consensus of professional judgment on the most significant national measures of the condition and progress of education for which accurate data are available. The Condition of Education includes an "At a Glance" section, which allows readers to quickly make comparisons across indicators, and a "Highlights" section, which captures key findings from each indicator. In addition, The Condition of Education contains a Reader's Guide, a Glossary, and a Guide to Sources that provide additional background information. Each indicator provides links to the source data tables used to produce the analyses.

This report examines heterogeneity in young adult outcomes among students at risk for school failure due to low socioeconomic status (SES). It addresses the question: "Among students at risk due to status characteristics, what are the relationships of high school engagement and attainments with post-high school outcomes?" Two sets of outcomes are considered: entry and persistence in postsecondary education, and employment and income as a young adult. The report distinguishes between "status risk factors" such as SES and race/ethnicity and two other sets of risk factors: behavioral risk factors and academic risk factors. Behavioral risk factors are behaviors and attitudes closely related to learning, for example, attendance, paying attention to the teacher, completing coursework, and developing a sense that schooling is important to future life successes. These behaviors and attitudes are referred to as school engagement. "Disengagement" (e.g., not attending class, not completing assignments) can create severe impediments to learning. Appended are: (1) Technical Notes; (2) Standard Errors Tables; (3) Other Statistical Tables; and (4) Variables Used in This Report. (Contains 148 endnotes and 19 tables.).

The role played by testing in the nation's public school system has been increasing steadily-and growing more complicated-for more than 20 years. The Committee on Educational Excellence and Testing Equity (CEETE) was formed to monitor the effects of education reform, particularly testing, on students at risk for academic failure because of poverty, lack of proficiency in English, disability, or membership in population subgroups that have been educationally disadvantaged. The committee recognizes the important potential benefits of standards-based reforms and of test results in revealing the impact of reform efforts on these students. The committee also recognizes the valuable role graduation tests can potentially play in making requirements concrete, in increasing the value of a diploma, and in motivating students and educators alike to work to higher standards. At the same time, educational testing is a complicated endeavor, that reality can fall far short of the model, and that testing cannot by itself provide the desired benefits. If testing is improperly used, it can have negative effects, such as encouraging school leaving, that can hit disadvantaged students hardest. The committee was concerned that the recent proliferation of high school exit examinations could have the unintended effect of increasing dropout rates among students whose rates are already far higher than the average, and has taken a close look at what is known about influences on dropout behavior and at the available data on dropouts and school completion.