Open-access colleges are an important pathway to economic mobility for millions of Americans. But graduation rates at these colleges are low--for example, only 36 percent of first-time, full-time freshmen at community colleges graduate within three years. Over the last two decades, MDRC and others have conducted research to build the evidence base…

Using a stratified random sample and real-time virtual focus group sessions, we evaluated the regional administrative model, addressing personnel supervision, program direction, financial management, and administrative leadership. We concluded that the regional administrative model remains a highly charged topic, there is no common understanding…

In 1994, the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) joined its sister compacts in offering a regional student reciprocity and tuition exchange opportunity known as the Midwest Student Exchange Program (MSEP). The program allowed students from one MHEC state to attend an institution at a reduced tuition rate in another MHEC state when the…

Minnesota Reading Corps is the largest AmeriCorps State program in the country. Its mission is to help every Minnesota child become a proficient reader by the end of third grade. To meet this goal, the Minnesota Reading Corps and its host organization, ServeMinnesota Action Network, engages a diverse group of AmeriCorps members to provide…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify significant external and internal challenges that state organization leaders face in promoting science-based teen pregnancy prevention programs within their states. The state organization administrators were chosen because their organizations were funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control…

This article details a strategic planning model and concurrent 3-year research study focusing on the benefits of preK-16 professional development school learning communities for the participating preK-16 educational leaders in a midwestern school-university partnership network. Results of the study, along with the strategic plan's success at…

This report provides Year 2 data comparing two types of school breakfast programs in Minnesota to schools that did not serve breakfast at all (No Breakfast schools): Fast Break to Learning, a universal free breakfast program (Fastbreak schools), and programs with a sliding fee scale (control schools). Data were collected from 30 Fastbreak, 195…

Second-year evaluation of the career education projects at Saint Paul and Minneapolis from October 1975 through June 1976 was conducted in three phases: Management activities, curriculum development/inservice workshops, and student outcomes. Findings indicated evidences of community involvement, staff development through inservice activities, cost…

This report presents a study of policy issues related to the provision of early childhood and family education services in Minnesota. Chapter One consists of an executive summary and recommendations. Chapters Two and Three overview the concept, rationale and implementation of Minnesota's early childhood and family education pilot programs.…

The documents enclosed in this report provide a comprehensive and systematic review of the progress made in developing a network organization capable of supporting nanoscience education for the public on a national scale. There is a logic to the studies that were done and to the reports that are included in this notebook. The following are the…

Adult basic education (ABE) programming efforts in Minnesota for the 1992-93 year were designed to accomplish the following state plan-stipulated goals: (1) continue developing/implementing a statewide ABE delivery system to enable adults (especially disadvantaged adults) with basic skill deficiencies to identify and achieve their personal and…

Four case studies presented in this handbook demonstrate specific techniques which can be used to build citizen participation in a community education program. Based on criteria of adaptability, evidence of effectiveness, and significance, one project for each of the following four classifications of ninety-two relevant projects was selected for…