As state and federal policymakers continue to adopt more centralized policies, it is increasingly important to understand how policies, particularly those designed to enhance education for underserved students, are implemented locally. We employ a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design to investigate the implementation of one policy, that…

Over the past decade, educators and policymakers have used a variety of approaches to designing and implementing teacher compensation programs. These approaches include federal incentive funds, state-level programs, and district initiatives. This article reviews 6 such programs in order to identify themes and draw conclusions relevant to…

Nearly every high-priority item in national, federal, state, and local discussions about education--and policy proposals across the political spectrum--requires high-quality longitudinal data to inform its design, implementation, and evaluation. This factsheet shares Data Quality Campaign's (DQC's) analysis of what "Data for Action 2011:…

This report presents preliminary findings of a 5-year study evaluating the effectiveness of state-funded prekindergarten programs in Texas. The two components of the study included in this report are (1) a statewide survey of 507 school districts, focusing on prekindergarten program characteristics, implementation, and parents' perceptions of the…

The economic success of the state of Texas is dependent upon future market participants having access to higher education. The ability of Texas citizens to access higher education is dependent upon access to financial aid resources to pay for higher education. Much is known about the impact of particular financial aid outcomes on access and…

This two-part report describes various strategies for involving the private sector in job training programs and summarizes a study conducted with prime sponsors of Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) programs in Texas. Included in a discussion of involving the private sector in job training programs are the following topics: the new…

A project was conducted to integrate and enhance the applied technology components of instruction provided to students in mathematics and science throughout Texas. During the project, sets of staff development activities on 9 topics were developed and made available to pilot program sites, 96 integrated interdisciplinary instructional activities…

Compensatory education describes the special programs and services provided to students who are not succeeding in school and who do not qualify for special education. Educators define these students as "at risk"--at risk of school failure and a difficult transition to productive adult life. A recent study of compensatory education by the…

The cost and impact of institutions of higher education in Texas when implementing and administering federally mandated social regulations were studied. All of the 156 institutions of higher education in Texas were sent questionnaires, and 108 responded. Findings include the following: the total dollar costs for implementing and administering…

A study examined the impact of teaching handicapped students in regular vocational education classrooms on class interaction and instructional variables. During the study, researchers conducted individual interviews with 22 vocational education instructors from 11 randomly selected school districts throughout Texas and later conducted a total of…

Regulatory cost impacts for 11 Texas colleges and universities for the 1977-78 academic year are presented as part of a continuing effort to assess the costs and impact of federally mandated social regulations. The 11 institutions are representative of each of the types previously reviewed as groups. For each institution, data are presented on the…

A project was conducted to develop a vocational instructional program designed to meet the vocational needs of students in small school districts. During the first phase of the project, a literature review was conducted to identify the philosophical bases, purposes, and structures that characterize cooperative vocational education programs and…

A project was undertaken to establish plans for a network through which postsecondary vocational home economics institutions in Texas could exchange instructional materials. After reviewing current literature on the idea of an instructional materials exchange, project staff mailed letters to the Board of Education in each of the 50 states…