Staff provides this baseline report as a summary of its preliminary considerations and initial research in fulfillment of the requirements of HB2320 from the 2015 session of the General Assembly. Codified as § 23-7.4:7, this legislation compels the Education Secretary and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) Director, in…

This report describes the Library Networking Committee's cooperative collection development project, focusing on workshops which met to discuss five subject areas with the greatest potential for cooperative acquisition in northern Virginia: art resources, energy and environment, health science, law, and urban affairs. Workshops in the areas of…

Discusses virtual schools that have a World Wide Web presence and use the Web and the Internet, provides an evaluation methodology, and describes three specific virtual schools: The Virtual High School, a collaborative of high schools from across the United States; The Virginia Internet High School; and Cyberschool, in Eugene, Oregon. (LRW)

This collection of materials describes a project at the University of Richmond which addressed the areas of faculty development and bibliographic instruction in order to promote relationships between library services and academic programs, as well as to increase and improve students' use of libraries. Over a period of four years, 15 faculty…

To improve cooperative programs by selecting qualified students, Manchester High School in Chesterfield County, Virginia, uses teamwork in the form of a screening committee consisting of the principal, assistant principals, program coordinators, and guidance counselors to review student applications, examine student records, and interview the…

Describes Virginia's Master Technician Program, which offers a comprehensive coordinated curriculum in electronics/electromechanical technology that spans high school and community college levels of instruction. Highlights innovations of the project, curriculum design, advantages, and future projections. (DMM)

A National Council on Social Work Education project to develop, test, and evaluate models for continuing education in five social work education programs is described. Its aim is to demonstrate how the education and practice systems can work together, and to focus on mental health care delivery system issues as a whole. Five pilot projects in…

Describes five statewide academic library consortia providing access to electronic resources via the Internet: GALILEO in Georgia, the Louisiana Library Network, OhioLINK, TexShare in Texas, and VIVA in Virginia. Highlights participating libraries, core programs, reason for formation, funding, involvement of larger academic libraries in the…

This white paper examines the relationship of child care to business interests. Areas explored include: (1) the relationship between a robust economy and increasing family stress; (2) family-friendly benefit options and the bottom-line rewards for employers who offer them; (3) how businesses are getting involved in partnerships to address issues…

Virginia has developed a state training program for student financial aid administrators. It is coordinated with two previously separate programs, is cost efficient, and has resolved the issues of who should train, what materials should be included, when training should be conducted, and where training should occur. (JMD)

Often, local governments and school boards look for more ways to stretch limited resources in order to provide quality public facilities and services. This report outlines various ways in which schools and parks-and-recreation departments can share facilities, which allows the two parties to split the cost and double the benefits to local…

A Virginia science and technology high school restructured its ninth-grade curriculum by clustering three core courses in an integrated program. Students work with resource managers at Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge to gather data on species inhabiting the area. They prepare well-researched reports and present them to peers, faculty, and…

The comprehensive Vocational Evaluation and Assessment Center serving five school divisions of the Northern Neck Region (Virginia) was established in 1989. An assessment center coordinator determined the needs and perceptions of potential service consumers. Vendors were contacted and equipment was selected. Forms and equipment for the Phase I and…

Based on the work of the Committee on the Future of the Virginia Community College System and group discussions by 100 representatives of colleges, business/industry, and state bodies, this long-range plan offers guidance for the development of the community college system for the remainder of the century. Following introductory information on the…

Because increasing numbers of children come to school with problems caused by poverty, divorce, drug use, and teenage pregnancy, schools may no longer be able to limit themselves solely to academic roles. This brief argues that schools, families, and communities need to work together to help children overcome the challenges that they face. It also…