The lack of a high school diploma both reflects and exacerbates some of the most severe inequities in our society. According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, those with a high school diploma or its equivalent in Baltimore earn about $7,000 more a year than those without one (an estimated $28,396 versus $21,359). The lack of a high…

In 2005, Kalamazoo, Michigan launched a bold and innovative economic development strategy, The Kalamazoo Promise (KP), which guarantees tuition to every high school graduate in the district. Since KP inception, high school enrollments are up and college attendance has increased, creating national attention. This paper analyzes the benefits and…

The "Colorado Children's Budget 2012" examines the state's commitment to investing in the well-being of children. It tallies up Colorado's actual and planned investment during the past five years (Fiscal Year (FY) 2008-2009 through FY 2012-2013) on programs and services in four areas: Early Childhood Learning and Development, K-12…

The state of Vermont closed its only institution for persons with intellectual disabilities in 1993 and moved to a totally community-based model of services. Here we describe the characteristics of the near exhaustive statewide sample of adult male sex offenders with intellectual disabilities (N = 103) who received these services between 1993 and…

Access to a quality, affordable college education remains a cornerstone of American economic and social development. Individuals from all backgrounds need the knowledge and skills afforded by higher education to compete in an increasingly integrated--and competitive--global economy. Greater educational attainment correlates with many positive…

Community coalitions (CCs) have labored with some difficulty to demonstrate empirical evidence of effectiveness in preventing a wide range of adolescent problem behaviors. Training and technical assistance (TA) have been identified as important elements in promoting improved functioning of CCs. A reliable, valid, and inexpensive method to assess…

The growth of the Children, Youth and Families At Risk National Initiative into a base program was charted through a survey documenting changes in 22 participating states' ability to develop and sustain programs. Data from 1997-1998 and 2000-2001 reveal gains in four of six components: statewide commitment, individuals' understanding of states'…

The "Colorado Children's Budget" presents and analyzes investments and spending trends during the past five state fiscal years on services that benefit children. The "Children's Budget" focuses mainly on state investment and spending, with some analysis of federal investments and spending to provide broader context of state…

This annual report describes the Interagency Child Abuse Network (ICAN) Project, a joint venture of the Texas Department of Human Services and the Alamo Area Council of Governments in Bexar County. The goal of the ICAN Project was to establish a network of agencies in the county that could develop a team approach to handling child abuse cases. The…

Assesses the effectiveness of a local antismoking contest in Bloomington (Minnesota) that was coordinated with a statewide campaign. Interviews were conducted with 218 local and 198 statewide participants. Finds that the local contest had a higher impact than the statewide contest. (FMW)

In May 2006, the National Poverty Center (NPC) at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan hosted a meeting--"Research on Prisoner Reentry: What Do We Know and What Do We Want to Know?"--to discuss the state of research on employment-focused prisoner reentry programs. This paper, written as background for…

This report describes the implementation and results of the Utah Community Partnership for Character Development, a 4-year grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The project was initiated in January 1996, in 50 schools from 4 school districts in Salt Lake City (Utah) and neighboring communities. The grant included more than 65 schools…

The six chapters of this theme issue attempt to define conceptual and methodological issues in the evaluation of integrated services systems and to begin to synthesize some of these issues. An introduction to these evaluation issues is followed by case studies and a discussion of implications for program and policy development. (SLD)

This report explores how the states carried out the first year implementation of AmeriCorps, the signature component of the 1993 National and Community Service Trust Act. This initial study is part of a larger study of the effectiveness of the 1993 Act. The report is based on: interviews with the staff of the Corporation for National Service,…

This study, one in a series of qualitative case studies on state and national practices in deinstitutionalization and community integration of people with disabilities, was conducted in 1991-92 and involved semistructured on-site interviews with administrators in the 12 New Hampshire regions. The focus is on two key milestones in the development…