This book documents the rise of tax-advantaged college savings plans and analyzes the rhetoric surrounding each state's program adoption to understand what such programs really mean. The book concludes with a Best Practices description of the ideal tax-advantaged college savings plan that maximizes public responsibility to pay for higher…

This report provides guidance and information on resources to assist elementary schools, parents, community members, and policymakers in implementing a systemic approach to standards-based education. It makes clear recommendations on how schools can achieve a coordinated system in which standards, assessment, accountability, and curriculum are…

Issues in school choice are addressed, with a focus on Minnesota. The first chapter presents a rationale in support of school choice, examining school choice as a catalyst for change based on American values. Outcomes of choice include parent influence over state allocation of resources and changes in the roles and responsibilities of educators,…

As a result of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation and the reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004, Response to Intervention (RTI) is now a mandated process for documenting the existence or nonexistence of a learning disability. For educators new to the RTI approach, this text presents an overview of key…

Intended primarily for principals and guidance counselors, this monograph contains 15 articles written by practitioners associated with, and staff of, the Comprehenisve Career Development Project for Secondary Schools in Tennessee. The following articles are included: "Changes: From Crisis Counseling to a Comprehensive Career Development…

The perspectives in these essays present an examination of the Kentucky educational reform effort, with an examination of its rationale, various facets, and the reactions to its implementation. The ambitious assessment system includes multiple-choice and open-ended items, performance tasks, and portfolio assessments. The following are included:…

This report proposes that state economic development policy and resources, and state personnel, with their knowledge of and access to the business community, can contribute to the intertwined issues of competitiveness and poverty. Following an introduction, chapter 2 examines four related issues: poverty, income equity, welfare dependency, and the…

Designed for practitioners, this book provides ideas and strategies for designing, developing, and implementing the Youth Transition Program (YTP) for students with disabilities and special needs in Oregon. Chapter 1 describes the following: background and need for collaborative school-to-work (STW) programs; STW program purposes and components,…

This book compiles information to investigate the presence and structure of multicultural education programs throughout the United States. The book begins by discussing the need for multicultural education programs, and the goal of which is to provide more accurate descriptions of America's microcultural populations and to guarantee a better…