The Accelerated Learning Work Group's introductory Guide to Accelerated Learning offers descriptions, resources, and examples of state education agencies implementing Accelerated Learning into their programs. It also answers questions, such as: (1) How should Accelerated Learning be implemented?; (2) How are educators best supported during…

In education, practitioners are increasingly looking for strategies to bring data and evidence into decisionmaking and to roll out programs in intentional ways that allow for ongoing improvement. This toolkit acts as a guide to improvement strategies for teams of practitioners at colleges, providing them with the knowledge and tools they need to…

As community colleges across the country look for ways to promote student success, the need for scaling effective approaches is critical. This guide builds on a framework of four phases of scaling developed in Job For the Future's (JFF's) previous publication, "Thinking Big: A Framework for States on Scaling Up Community College…

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) identified a need for a comprehensive set of best practices in nutrition education for low-income audiences for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) educational projects, including SNAP-Ed. A comprehensive list of best practices would promote consistency and efficacy in program planning,…

A quality improvement system (QIS) is an intentional effort to raise the quality of afterschool programming in an ongoing, organized fashion. There are a number of reasons the QIS is gaining popularity. The main reasons community leaders are drawn to improving quality is that they know that 1) higher quality programs will mean better experiences…

Few questions in public education discourse benefit as much from research-based evidence as the question of class size--the pursuit of the ideal number of students that should be co-located for any particular period of instruction. But for policymakers, research on class size can be an embarrassment of riches, and much of the research appears to…

The Developmental Strategies for College Readiness and Success Resource Guide was produced by the Education Commission of the States and the Southern Regional Education Board for the "Countdown to 2015: Developmental Strategies to Advance Readiness in the Common Core Era" convening held April 21-23, 2014 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The…

This article summarizes recommendations of the Richardson Study regarding a comprehensive approach to programing for gifted students. Basic components of comprehensive programing are outlined, and seven steps deemed essential to program development and implementation are described, as implemented by the Pyramid Project in four school districts in…

This manual provides information to help libraries in Texas considering an automation project, with special emphasis on smaller libraries. The solutions discussed are microcomputer-based. The manual begins with a discussion of how to prepare for the automation of a library, including planning, approval, collection decisions, policy, and staffing.…

Part of the purpose of public schooling is to help children develop into productive adults who responsibly participate in a democratic community. The prevention of suicide is critical to the accomplishment of this purpose. Suicide prevention includes the development of policies and procedures that address enhancing school climate, developing…

This paper lists the standards for a course in driver education approved for Texas schools. The guidelines cover administration and supervision; teacher certification; teaching assistants; course requirements; scheduling; instructor hours, class size, and age level; driver education course records; signatures; control of standards; and procedures…

Containing four sections of materials for workshop presenters to teach phonics and word recognition, this guide assists early reading program educators (grades K-3) in enhancing the Reading and Language Arts knowledge and skills of Texas students. Section 1, an introduction, defines the purpose of the guide and outlines six goals. Section 2,…

Created to offer staff development to local school districts and instructors of preservice teachers in Texas, this guide explains how to design a successful intervention program that provides short-term, intensive, one-on-one instruction for children who need help with reading and writing. In these materials, participants will learn about…

This sourcebook of over 100 Texas middle-school programs was developed to help educators implement intermediate-grade education concepts and practices in their schools. The volume is a companion publication to "Spotlight on the Middle: Report of the Texas Task Force on Middle School Education." The introduction mentions two offices in…

The Fort Bend Independent School District (a large, growing school district in Sugar Land, Texas) elected to become a Reading Recovery Teacher Training site and faced many decisions regarding effective implementation, including campus (school) selection. They began slowly with only two campuses the first year, added four to five the second year,…