South Africa's public sector has launched a variety of gender-focused schemes aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs over the years. However, emerging literature suggests that the efficacy of these programmes is constrained. Consequently, alternative approaches might be needed to address women entrepreneurs' concerns. Previous studies have not…

To examine the impact of developmental monitoring on child referrals, a retrospective data review, comparing seven pilot programs with seven matched controls in Special Supplemental Nutrition Programs for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) was completed. Pilot programs were trained on developmental monitoring and how to refer families to their…

Early childhood educators are expected to provide the children in their centers high-quality care and preparation for later school success. At the same time, nearly a third of children enter early care and education settings displaying challenging behaviors, which in turn impacts educators' stress levels and wellbeing. It is then unsurprising that…

The school-aged population in the United States is becoming more culturally and linguistically diverse, while achievement gaps across content areas persist. At the same time, more rigorous academic demands are being placed on all students, including English language learners (ELLs). Teachers of ELLs face the double challenge of promoting English…

This article reviews the historical context in which Canadian legislation and policy for children with special needs has evolved. The potential for the rights of students with special needs in light of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is outlined. The role of the Federal and Provincial governments in legislation and policy vis-à-vis…

Reports on the materials being developed for instruction in critical television viewing skills. (RL)

This report is intended to provide practitioners and policymakers with a thorough history of efforts to link employment and training programs, community development programs, small business development programs, minority enterprise development programs, and economic development programs. The report contains three sections. Section 1 is an essay on…

Interest in encouraging linkages between economic development efforts of various federal agencies with the job development and training activities of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) led, in 1979, to the development of an interagency effort, the Employment Initiatives Program, and the signing of six interagency agreements with…

This paper isolates critical rural economic development issues and identifies needed federal policy interventions. Despite a long history of federal efforts to improve rural economic conditions, recent policies and programs aimed at stimulating rural development have had little impact. Reasons include: (1) narrowly focused economic development…

Few national level programs in the United States directly support both local development and education/training. Although both are needed to accomplish the desired goals of economic stability and low unemployment, distinctly different sets of policies exist for each, and because of limited federal resources, each program is in competition with the…

This report identifies factors that influence a rural area's economic success or failure, and evaluates whether federal programs efficiently address rural economic problems. Data collection included a review of federal programs that provide funding to rural areas, and interviews with federal and state agency officials involved with rural…

To make Head Start studies more accessible and to inform concerned audiences about major findings in the research, this volume provides a review of 124 Head Start studies published since 1970 and presents an annotated bibliography containing 1,448 entries on Head Start research undertaken since 1965. The literature review summarizes findings…

The Carter Administration is adopting a Small Community and Rural Development Policy because: (1) rural America's human and natural resources are a mainstay of the nation's economy and way of life; (2) many rural areas are in the midst of significant economic and demographic change; (3) rural people and communities have greater unmet basic human…

Case studies of local development projects in Scotland, Norway, Australia, and the United States (Minnesota) indicate that federal education programs of a "generative" nature (those linking educational improvement to other improvement efforts, emphasizing process, and stimulating grass-roots participation) are most likely to promote…

The objective of this report is to review studies that report language and literacy outcomes associated with preschool curriculum-based interventions. Results from studies reporting on interventions targeting preschool children from low-income families were included regardless of the specific type of program. Although the majority of preschool…