On October 25, 2004, President Bush signed into law the reauthorization of the Assistive Technology Act (AT Act). The new law provides a far more optimistic future for assistive technology (AT) and modifies the primary purpose of the previous law. The new AT Act provides "birth to death" legislation and is fundamentally different from…

This brief report highlights the issues, evidence, and first steps toward including students with disabilities in educational data systems. The report notes that if students with disabilities are excluded from educational data collection systems, policy makers do not have an adequate set of information from which to make policy decisions. The…

This digest examines issues concerning performance assessment of students receiving special education services. Issues addressed are: (1) need to infuse performance assessment into national programs including the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS); (2) current lack of inclusion of…

A study of 13 national and state data collection programs examined the exclusion of students with disabilities from data collection programs evaluating student educational outcomes. Eight recommendations are offered for improving the collection and reporting of information in state and national data collection programs. (Author/CR)

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) commissioned a study to determine the baseline costs of operation for the network of libraries and agencies that provide braille, playback machine, and recorded book services to patrons of the free national program. A 15-year projection of costs was also prepared. The…

The nature of Federal and state initiatives with respect to multicultural education is examined, and guidelines and standards for the preparation of school personnel are reviewed. Federal initiatives have focused on preschool, elementary, and secondary education, and states have generally followed the Federal lead through state grants to implement…

This booklet examines national and state educational reform in the 1990s, noting the ways in which performance assessment is being presented as a mechanism of reform. Three reform initiatives are examined: national education goals, standards, and reform legislation. In conjunction with these reform movements, new methods of assessment are being…

A directory of federal and state programs to help the handicapped find employment, this booklet also describes programs for the able-bodied. Contents included are (1) programs for people who need additional education, rehabilitation, or training before they can get a job, (2) programs for those who need a job and for communities that need to…

One of a series of special reports issued by Project Baseline, a national study of vocational education and manpower training, the study attempts to determine whether the disadvantaged and handicapped have been served by the Vocational Education Act of 1963, the Amendments of 1968, and subsequent legislation. The report is based on a review of…

This volume of an annual journal explores the problems and opportunities confronting young people attempting to find employment and the challenges faced by employment and training professionals trying to assist them along with some possible solutions. The 16 articles are divided into three parts concerned respectively with defining the problems,…

MENTAL RETARDATION ACTIVITIES OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE ARE REVIEWED. THE ROSTER OF THE SECRETARY'S COMMITTEE ON MENTAL RETARDATION IS PROVIDED. THE INTRODUCTION CONTAINS INFORMATION CONCERNING (1) THE COORDINATION OF MENTAL RETARDATION PROGRAMS THROUGH THE COMMITTEE, (2) THE SIX PIECES OF 1966 MENTAL RETARDATION…

This third annual compilation presents resources of 183 ongoing projects in career education, vocational education, and education and work, that are administered by such agencies as the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Career Education, National Institute of Education, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, and Office of…

A study examined the distribution, use, and effects of 30 research and development products to improve vocational education for handicapped learners. These research and development efforts were studied through a mail survey returned from 321 respondents, telephone interviews with 100 respondents, and case studies of seven sites where these…

This publication summarizes presentations and discussions from a conference that addressed specific issues in the National Assessment of Vocational Education and in the 1990 Perkins Act that mandated the assessment. Introductory materials include a summary of consensus issues from the conference (David Boesel), welcoming remarks (Bruno Manno), and…

This collection of 22 papers is organized by the five conference topics. "Part 1: Effects of the Perkins Act on Policy and Practice" contains five papers: "Federal Legislation as Rorschach Test: Methodological Issues in Assessing the Effects of the 1990 Perkins Act on States and Localities" (Grubb); "Effects of the 1990…