Publicly available statistics from government agencies that are credible, relevant, accurate, and timely are essential for policy makers, individuals, households, businesses, academic institutions, and other organizations to make informed decisions. Even more, the effective operation of a democratic system of government depends on the unhindered…

The U.S. system of graduate education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has served the nation and its science and engineering enterprise extremely well. Over the course of their education, graduate students become involved in advancing the frontiers of discovery, as well as in making significant contributions to the…

This book is a welcome guide for educators, civic leaders, and researchers looking for ways to leverage data to identify the most effective policies, interventions, and use of resources for their communities. In the current era of reform, much has been made of the fact that there are many influences that shape children beyond the walls of the…

This book is intended to be a practical reference for accessing agencies that provide transition services for students with disabilities after they exit school and for including those agencies in the transition planning process while the student is still in public school. Emphasis throughout is on interagency collaboration and the various…

After-school programs are popular with parents and the community, but are a lot of extra work for headteachers and the staff involved. This book will provide headteachers and administrators with the guidance they need to build a successful and sustainable after-school program. Based on a national study conducted by the author, this hands-on…

This book is an effort to document ideas, processes, and outcomes based on input from many people involved in accountability of interagency collaborative services programs. The goals, processes, instruments, and reporting systems presented have been developed through a team process over a 10-year period of involvement with Iowa's School-Based…

School counselors can play a powerful role in closing the achievement gap when they incorporate the principles of social justice into their practice. In this much-needed resource for preservice and inservice counselors, the author addresses factors (such as racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism) that can contribute to academic failure, and…

Foster homes have traditionally been considered transitional homes, where children receive good care for a limited time period. However, in recent years, many children have been drifting in foster care. Child welfare agencies are using new criteria for evaluating services, including the 1970s permanency planning idea--asserting the importance of…

Twelve federal migrant programs currently provide over $600 million annually to assist migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families. Four programs (the Migrant Education Program, Migrant Head Start, Migrant Health, and job training and ancillary services under the Job Training Partnership Act) account for 90 percent of federal migrant…

The Healthy Start Initiative is a national 5-year demonstration program that uses a broad range of community-driven, system development approaches to reduce infant mortality and improve the health and well-being of women, infants, children, and families. This volume, fourth in the series, deals with the topic of community outreach and is based on…