The National Math + Science Initiative (NMSI) is a nonprofit organization committed to improving educational outcomes that traces its roots back to the early 1990s. NMSI's College Readiness Program (CRP) is a long-standing program with the goal of promoting STEM education in high schools to improve students' preparation for college. The three-year…

The Center for the Study of Education Policy utilized several grants to develop principal preparation program tools to assist programs in the implementation of the new standards and requirements for the licensure of school principals and assistant principals. Also, with the help of another grant in partnership with several PK-12 school districts,…

In June 2010, the Illinois General Assembly passed Public Act 96-0903, a sweeping restructuring of the preparation of school principals and assistant principals that represented 10 years of effort from a broad coalition of stakeholders. The restructuring in Illinois was part of a movement nationwide to provide stronger training for principals in…

Teaching entrepreneurship--how to create, grow and run a business or organization--is one potential means to increase college and career readiness skills. Learning how to start a business can improve critical thinking, communication and collaboration (Gallagher, Stepien, & Rosenthal, 1992; Hmelo, 1998), which are key qualities for academic as…

This exploration into competency-based innovation at the school, district, and state levels suggests that competency-based pathways are a re-engineering of this nation's education system around learning--a re-engineering designed for success in which failure is no longer viable. This discussion draws on interviews and site visits with innovators…

Previous research indicated that Catholic high schools in the United States were not addressing the topic of homosexuality in any significant and systematic way prior to the mid-1990s, though practitioners in Catholic high schools have begun to address the topic in recent years. This study, in sampling seven Catholic schools in the greater Chicago…

A project in Illinois created a 17-member committee, reviewed literature, and conducted a telephone survey of all 51 state home economics supervisors in the United States to create a conceptual framework for secondary home economics. The framework was reviewed and refined by the participants and is being published. Additional materials developed…

This report results from a self-study performed by Kishwaukee College in Illinois to prepare for a site visit from the North Central Association for accreditation. It details operations and goal outcomes of the college, and divides these data into eight sections: (1) an introduction, which contains an institutional profile, accreditation history,…

This resource manual describes a model for planning and developing comprehensive career placement services integrated into the total career development efforts of secondary and postsecondary schools in Illinois. The manual is designed to be used by educational administrators at the local and regional level in developing specific program goals,…

These collected conference papers, which originated from diverse campus child care centers across the United States, provide guidance for day-to-day decision-making about campus day care. Contents concern: (1) campus child care's mission and challenges; (2) campus child care in relation to the national picture, an in-depth look at campus child…

This document, one of 12 guides that have been developed to facilitate evaluation by and for local education agency (LEA) personnel in Illinois, covers the analysis of community resources, an activity that has as its primary objective the evaluation of the LEA's use of those resources available in the community, such as businesses, labor unions,…

This handbook is intended as a guide to assist administrators and vocational teachers in designing a program of vocational instruction for limited English proficiency (LEP) students. Developed as part of Project Access, the document's main focus is on high school programs. Contents include the following: identification and assessment, legislation…

This guide provides programmatic strategies and resources information to assist vocational administrators and other educators in designing, developing, and implementing vocational education programs which meet the special needs of limited English-speaking persons. It is directed to secondary, postsecondary, and adult program personnel. The…

These proceedings consist of papers presented at a conference devoted to educational resource sharing. Included in the volume are the following papers: "Educational Resource Sharing: The Challenge for Illinois" by Lewis D. Patterson; "Resource Sharing: The Test Is Yet to Come," by John W. Huther; "A Response to the…

This guide is directed at vocational programs, especially in Illinois, that are initiating special services for persons with limited English proficiency (LEP). It addresses the following topics: student identification, recruitment and assessment, program planning and funding, services adaptation and coordination, and bilingual vocational training…