U.S. educators and policymakers are concerned about the poor performance of the public schools, particularly schools that serve students from low-income families. Although education is primarily a state function, the federal government also has a longstanding interest in improving education for disadvantaged students, and it targets funding to…

All students, including students with disabilities, participate in state accountability systems. Most students with disabilities participate in the regular assessment, with or without accommodations. Students with more significant cognitive disabilities participate in the alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). A…

This Education Policy Brief examines the research regarding the efforts occurring in the United States to consolidate school corporations or form cooperative agreements for shared services. The brief also examines those policy levers which are contributing to the elevated discussion concerning consolidation and shared services in Indiana. Based…

Based on data obtained from the state supervisors of foreign languages by the Joint National Committee for Languages, this brief report lists the threats that jeopardize the status of language programs in the United States. These include: budget constraints; the possibility of further minimizing the federal role in education; reversing the…

In an effort to provide Ontario's Ministry of Community and Social Services with information on program development and operation, Ontario's child care support services (CCSSs) were surveyed. The first section discusses information obtained through a literature review and interviews with key informants. The section describes the range of CCSS…

Educational applications of computing are reviewed, beginning with a brief introduction to microcomputers and microcomputer characteristics that might be important for school use. An examination of significant models in computer education outside Australia emphasizes projects in the United Kingdom, France, and the United States, including the…

This report assesses the image of vocational education through a review of several studies and projects concerned with that image. In the first section of the report, the three most recent studies that target the image of vocational education from the national perspectives of manufacturers, state legislators, and employers are abstracted. Along…

Despite the many criticisms that have been made of vocational education teacher preparation, the field has many strengths that can serve as a base on which to build excellent programs. Six examples of excellence are pointed out: (1) important vocational teacher competencies have been identified and verified; (2) high quality performance-based…

Beginning with the assumption that children across the full spectrum of family income, family composition, and prior experience with child care would benefit from being in a well-implemented preschool at 3 and 4 years of age, this working paper focuses on finding a feasible way to finance universal preschool for 4-year-olds. The paper begins with…

This paper explores the issue of establishing and evaluating objectives for local career education programs. It presents a perspective on the state of the art based on reviews of the literature. Although it is addressed principally to local program developers and managers, the paper is also aimed at state career education coordinators. After a…

In 2003, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) released a "Strategic Plan for Early Childhood Health." In recognition of the critical role states play in the development of early childhood initiatives and of the unique contributions that state Title V programs can make to these initiatives, the Bureau operationalized their…