Innovative Digital Education and Learning-New Mexico (IDEAL-NM) was created in response to the 2005 Performance and Accountability Contract, "Making Schools Work" to leverage technology. On October 27, 2006, the statewide e-learning program that would implement a shared e-learning infrastructure using a single statewide learning…

Limited research has been done to date on the extent of public funding of Open Educational Resources (OER) within basic education (K-12 equivalent) in South Africa. As claims have been made about the potential cost reductions that come with using OER, this study aimed to establish a benchmark of public spending on educational resources, uncover…

This dissertation studies two specific topics on information technologies in health care industry. (1) The status and change of integrated health care delivery system level IT spending and hospital level IT adoption between 1999 and 2006. (2) The potential link between hospital level IT adoptions and quality as quantified by procedural performance…

This paper summarizes an extensive report on the development of a design using proven technology to demonstrate innovative and cost-effective means of using telecommunications in public service delivery. The conceptual approach of the study is briefly discussed. Seven "service packages," proposing uses of telecommunications in health,…

Analysis of early intervention expenditure data for 157 children in Massachusetts revealed an enormous variability in the total expenditure per child estimate. The study identified specific child, family, and program characteristics as predictors of different types of service hours. Difficulty in using one mean expenditure figure for planning is…

The mission of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, and children through age 4 who are at nutritional risk. WIC provides nutritious foods to supplement diets, nutrition education, and referrals to health care and other social services.…

The 2005 Minnesota First Special Session Laws, Chapter 5, Article 3, Section 17, established a Task Force on Delivery of Special Education to Non-Public School Students by Public School Districts to advise the commissioner on the delivery of special education to non-public school students by public school districts. The task force will make…

This paper reports the results of analyzing financial, program, and client data collected from Minnesota's Developmental Achievement Centers (DACs) for 1986. A total of 4,883 adults were receiving services, with the largest group being severely mentally retarded. Persons with additional disabilities numbered 1,263, with severe behavior problems,…

This paper presents data collected from rehabilitation centers serving individuals with developmental disabilities in Minnesota, called Developmental Achievement Centers (DACs). The data focus on finances, programs, and clients, and are compared with data from previous years. All 97 providers of adult services in Minnesota completed the survey,…

Efforts to reform the welfare system in the United States have been gaining momentum since the late 1980s. Critics have been arguing that states should receive federal waivers to create their own programs to encourage welfare recipients to find work. The thrust of the 1996 welfare reform act transfers control over welfare spending to the states.…

As part of on-going research on rural public service provision, researchers illustrated the use of a methodologically rigorous tool (a "tradeoff game") for eliciting community preferences for municipal public services. The trade-off game allowed adults in 122 households in Erin Township, Wellington County, Ontario, to assess 13 currently…

This paper assesses federal legislation and programs affecting community-based services for independent living for people with disabilities. Independent living entitlement programs are contained in Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and include comprehensive services, centers for independent living, and independent living services for…

This report offers an executive summary and further analysis of a 1990 report that presented a comprehensive picture of service delivery for persons with developmental disabilities in Mississippi. The 1990 report, which was mandated by the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act Amendments of 1987, analyzed federally assisted…

Undertaken at the request of House and Senate committees with responsibility for Indian affairs and government health programs, this study examines the health status of Indians and the services and technologies that are provided to them through Federal Indian health programs. The first half of the report contains background information and the…