Transition plans for students with special needs provide support for social and academic success while giving students an accurate picture of what to expect in high school. The Texas Comprehensive Center recommends that schools develop a comprehensive transition plan district-wide. This district plan must include the cooperation of staff from the…

Less than 25 percent of college students who take any developmental education courses earn a credential within eight years. Over the past three years, the six states in the Developmental Education Initiative have developed and enacted unprecedented changes in policy and practice in an effort to reverse these dismal outcomes. "Ahead of the…

The Developmental Strategies for College Readiness and Success Resource Guide was produced by the Education Commission of the States and the Southern Regional Education Board for the "Countdown to 2015: Developmental Strategies to Advance Readiness in the Common Core Era" convening held April 21-23, 2014 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The…

The Governor's Educator Excellence Grant (GEEG) program was federally- and state-funded and provided three-year grants to schools to design and implement performance pay plans from the 2005-06 to 2007-08 school years. GEEG was implemented in 99 high poverty, high performing Texas public schools. Performance pay for teachers entered Texas state…

This article summarizes recommendations of the Richardson Study regarding a comprehensive approach to programing for gifted students. Basic components of comprehensive programing are outlined, and seven steps deemed essential to program development and implementation are described, as implemented by the Pyramid Project in four school districts in…

Camp Tyler, a comprehensive educational facility, serves the public schools during the school year and other organizations dedicated to children during the summer months. During their stay at the facility, students have an opportunity to become involved with and better understand their environment and their peers. (Author/JN)

This article looks at the history of a guidance program in a west Texas school district bordering on Mexico. Due to the high drop out rate and low test scores, money was pulled away from guidance programs because of the lack of success of the services. With persistence, a comprehensive guidance program was eventually introduced. Advocating for the…

The Texas Comprehensive School Health (CSH) Initiative assessed the status of CSH programs in seven public school districts using a case study approach. Results indicated considerable support for CSH programs but little coordination of programs. The districts were overwhelmed with other health responsibilities, so CSH programing was not a…

In the late 1990s the Texas Education Agency advocated the transformation of all counseling services into developmental guidance programs. This document describes the process undertaken and the lessons learned when evaluating a small, rural school district in north Texas in order to begin this model transformation. The purpose of the study was to…

Researchers conducted case studies of Ninth Grade Success Initiative (NGSI) grants to gain a greater understanding of issues facing large numbers of at-risk students, many of whom, despite potentially receiving services as early as kindergarten, still reach ninth grade unprepared to succeed academically in high school. Case studies focused on NGSI…