This guide describes key steps for developing a well-thought-out plan for evaluating a State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP). The guide provides considerations for how to incorporate each step into an evaluation plan, as well as a series of worksheets that correspond to each step and can be used to facilitate the planning process. The guide,…

This brief enhances recommendations and policy strategies from the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) publication "Reading to Achieve: A Governor's Guide to Adolescent Literacy". It reflects lessons from recent research and best practices from states selected to receive NGA Center support to develop statewide…

To inform states regarding their compliance with practices mandated by the Child Support Enforcement Amendments of 1984, this document provides a state by state analysis of the effects of the amendment on state child support laws. Information for each state is divided into two sections. The first section lists state laws that contain many or all…

As part of an effort to make the system for the evaluation of California community colleges' occupational education programs more relevant and efficient, a project was undertaken to provide the coordination and support services necessary to accomplish this revision. The primary objective of the project was to involve college practitioners,…

This report describes the model used by the Oregon State System for Higher Education to assess the impact of higher education on the growth and change in students as a result of participation in higher education. The model prescribes assessments of general knowledge and abilities, learning environment, major field knowledge, degree completion,…

This report summarizes the findings, issues, and lessons learned from the Developing National Public Library and Statewide Network Statistics and Performance Measures study conducted between January 1999 and August 2000. The overall goal of the study was to develop a core set of national statistics and performance measures that librarians,…

Prepared as part of a joint effort by the Maryland State Board for Community Colleges (SBCC) and the Maryland State Board of Education to promote high-quality occupational programs and services, this report provides information on the state's management information system and program data monitoring system. Following the text of a resolution…

Implications of the Colorado Social Health Survey for indirect needs assessment in mental health planning and administration are discussed. The survey model parameters' generalizability to other areas of the nation should be investigated, as well as improved ways of linking specific populations to needs, preferences, and outcome dimensions. (SLD)

In a study designed to determine the impact of state curriculum initiatives on curriculum framework, student assessment, and textbook adoption in the science curriculum, researchers interviewed state education agency staff, completed four case studies in four districts, and surveyed 100 school districts at random in each of the three diverse…

An evaluation of cooperative collection management among academic libraries participating in the Illinois Collection Analysis Matrix (ICAM) was conducted in March 1987 by the Illinois Association of College and Research Libraries (IACRL) and the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE). Data were gathered from two questionnaires, one of which was…

Parent involvement in New Mexico, and around the nation, is an essential element in the success of students and their schools. This simple point anchors the federal law known as the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" ("NCLB"). NCLB establishes state, district and school requirements designed to promote more effective parent…

This review of effective practices in state-wide systems change was conducted as part of the PEERS (Providing Education for Everyone in Regular Schools) Project, a 5-year collaborative systems change project in California to facilitate the integration of students with severe disabilities previously at special centers into services at regular…

This report evaluates the Quality Education Initiative (QEI) evaluation system developed in Pennsylvania to monitor and report progress of individual programs or sites serving students with and without disabilities. The system has three parts: a Program Documentation Outline (PDO), a Program Reporting Outline (PRO), and a Program Improvement…

This report synthesizes information from many sources about state and local Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) evaluation activities and issues. The report's five sections are interrelated, but each can stand alone as a discussion piece on JTPA evaluation. The first section, on the role of evaluation in JTPA, outlines the rationale for doing…

This report presents the findings of the New York State Comptroller's audit of the Education Department's management and oversight of the Preschool Handicapped Education Program. The audit notes a 68 percent increase (to $298 million) in costs during 1990-91 over the previous year, most of which is attributed to the 55 percent increase in the…