The North Central Region Aging Network (NCRAN) formed out of a need to strengthen the potential for meeting curricular and educational demands related to the topic of aging. By pooling resources, establishing interactive and consistent methods of idea sharing, working collectively to assess community needs, and launching professional development…

Interstate Passport is a program that serves a national network of member institutions and states to facilitate block transfer of lower-division general education attainment based on student learning outcomes rather than on specific courses and credits. A student who is awarded a Passport for completing the general education courses specified by…

In response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) was formed to answer oil spill-related scientific questions. However, peer-reviewed scientific discoveries were not reaching people whose livelihoods depended on a healthy Gulf of Mexico. GoMRI and the four Gulf of Mexico Sea Grant programs partnered to…

Students in New England take increasingly varied pathways to a degree. They are highly mobile and move among two-year colleges and four-year public and private higher education institutions (HEIs), among four-year and two-year colleges and back, and transfer in-state and out-of state. Four in 10 students who begin college at a New England…

A survey administered in the spring of 2013 by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) inquired into the implementation of Common Core State Standards at that time. Based on self-reports by state officials, the survey found that curricula aligned to the common core were already being taught in at least some districts or grade levels. All states…

The Case of Top Beginnings and the Missing Child Outcomes is a fictionalized case study of a set of evaluation challenges faced in evaluating comprehensive initiatives that are seeking to build systems. In this case, the issue is a multistate foundation-funded early learning system building initiative that has to date primarily employed a case…

To help track whether students are being prepared for further education and work, many states are trying to connect their data systems from preschool through postsecondary education. But a national forum on the topic held June 13, 2006 suggests there's a long way to go. In preparation for the meeting, Peter Ewell, the vice president of the…

As of 1978, a total of 43 states had enacted the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC), a law specifying those persons and agencies who must and those who need not follow ICPC procedures when placing a child into a family across state lines. In the early 1970s, funds were made available to the American Public Welfare Association…

Graduating students who can compete in the digital age is imperative but remains an uphill battle in the absence of a strong national technology policy, empowered education leadership, and ongoing dialogue involving business, community, government, and educators. Meantime, in pockets around the country, some states, districts, and schools are…

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, whose goal is facilitating resource sharing and cooperation, is described. Barriers to cooperation including absence of leadership, lack of adequate financial incentives, and the tendency to encourage and reward isolated behavior are discussed. (MLW)

The Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium is engaged in a multistate effort to craft model teacher licensing standards. Preparation programs must be redesigned to ensure that all candidates have developed a strong foundation of content and pedagogical knowledge, can demonstrate this knowledge in practice, and have exhibited…

Newborn screening and genetic technologies are expanding and changing rapidly, increasing the demand for genetic specialty services. Because of the scarcity and geographic maldistribution of genetic specialty services, access to these services is a critical issue. This article discusses some of the efforts initiated by the Maternal and Child…

The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine's successful interstate educational exchange program through the Southern Regional Education Board is described, and concerns are expressed for the program's future. Suggestions are offered for establishing similar multistate programs that promote education in medical specialties and encourage…

Describes the Pacific Northwest Conspectus Database, a regional resource assessment tool which includes information about library collections in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Use of the database by academic, public, and special librarians to better manage their collections and to coordinate planning and purchasing with other…

Describes the contract negotiations between the Greater Midwest Research Libraries Consortium (GMRLC) and Federal Express for interstate courier services of consortium interlibrary loan materials. Reviews the implementation process and notes lessons learned. Discusses the effects of the new service on interlibrary loan shipping costs, delivery…