Smart Start Illinois is a multiyear plan to provide every child with access to preschool, increase funding to child care providers to raise wages and quality, and reach more vulnerable families with early support. Launched with a $300 million investment in the fiscal year 2024 state budget, Smart Start Illinois has already yielded results. The…

This study examined the status of school orchestra and string programs in Louisiana. A manual web search for string programs in parish school districts, student school affiliations from honor orchestra lists, Louisiana members of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), and members of the Louisiana Music Educators Association was conducted…

The "Marland" Report was the impetus and structure to provide a more systematic approach to building state and regional gifted programs. One of the strategies used to proliferate the spread of programming for gifted students throughout the states was the National/State Leadership Training Institute on the Gifted and Talented…

The authors argue that the ongoing research by the National Academies, the National Research Council, and the National Science Foundation are imperative. The findings and recommendations on what the school systems of America must do to develop specific educational programming will position the U.S. at the forefront of the world's economies if…

Over the past decade states have surpassed the federal Head Start program as the primary public funder of preschool slots. This paper investigates trends in Head Start enrollment in the context of increased state investment in early childhood. Using national, longitudinal data I find no evidence Head Start programs in states with expanding state…

In early 2000, Florida's workforce wasn't keeping pace with demand. The state decided that a then-novel credential, a bachelor's degree from a community college, was the solution. The plan is working. The new bachelor's degrees initially focused on education, health care, and information technology. Even as the job market has shrunk, demand has…

President Obama is calling for an increase in educational attainment among citizens of the United States (Obama, 2009). Prior to this national call, Washington State recognized the need to increase the educational attainment of its residents to maintain a globally competitive economy. By 2018, 67 percent of jobs in Washington will require a…

Summarizes recent developments with reference to gifted education in the nation, outlines some of the current concerns in the field, and concludes with some implications for career education for the gifted and talented. (Author)

The report summarizes the observations of five State Implementation Grant directors for the first two years of the State Implementation Grant (SIG) program (a program designed to develop a statewide network of services for young handicapped children and to assist states in the implementation of Early Childhood State Plans). (PHR)

South Dakota State leaders decided a few years ago to make a commitment to educational technology and distance education. The result is a blend of public and private support for educational change focused on increased use of instructional technology and distance education. The May/June 2001 issue of "Tech Trends" presents ideas from…

The school-readiness of Hawai'i's children and the readiness of Hawai'i's schools for entering kindergarteners has been a topic of considerable thought and action in recent years. Indeed, Hawai'i's citizens have long made young children and their education a high priority. The first steps were taken as early as 1894 when the Samuel N. and Mary…

Describes the origins, operations, and lessons learned from the Florida Schoolyear 2000 Initiative. This collaborative educational redesign effort includes the Performance Technology Department at Florida State University, the Florida Legislature, the Florida Department of Education, and nine collaborating school districts. (AEF)

Offers a multiperspective description of what happened to elementary and secondary education in British Columbia in the wake of the 1988 Sullivan Royal Commission on Education Report. Requests separation of politics and educational reform. (VWC)

Introduces three white papers, prepared for Governor William Janklow's Capital City Conclave on Distance Education, an event intended to generate information to help South Dakota incorporate distance education into its educational systems. The papers, incorporating the themes "Start with the Children,""Empower the Workforce,"…

Shared Information Services is a state-operated network of four resource centers for gifted education in Indiana. The network provides support in the areas of program development, teacher education, classroom teaching resources, and program evaluation. A variety of library and technical assistance services is provided to teachers and others by…