Among the findings are that most innovative school programs are ESEA funded, that most programs involved staff development, that special programs are most successful at the elementary and senior level, and that most programs are initiated by school administrators. (Author/AM)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed this guide to provide advice, ideas, and inspiration to teachers, school administrators, and others for planning a hands-on environmental day at school. Many of the tips and ideas in this guide come from "Make a Difference Day" events supported by EPA. EPA launched its "Make a…

This study reports on one of the knowledge development activities conducted under the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act of l977 (YEDPA). The report contains findings of an analysis of nine YEDPA projects and the factors that contributed to effective implementation of these programs. The study compares discrete projects with different…

Part of a special issue on organizational research utilization, this article analyzes two National Institute of Education programs--the Research and Development Utilization Program and the Experimental Schools Program--and finds that a key reason for nonutilization of research is the "policy vacuum" in which research is conducted.…

This publication presents approximately 50 brief case studies that describe the experience of participants in the National Diffusion Network (NDN), a linkage system established by the U.S. Office of Education to enable people to share their knowledge and help each other promote change in the schools. The case studies illustrate the change-agent…

This report examines critical issues that rural educators face in establishing preschool programs. Even Start is a federal program designed to meet the educational needs of preschool children who have under-educated parents. In addition to participating in their child's education, the program requires parents to enroll in educational or vocational…

This document contains the first volume in a three-volume state-of-the-art report based on a study conducted to identify and analyze the effective mechanisms for facilitating coordination of vocational education programs with Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) Title IV youth programs. Included in this volume are 111 case studies of…

This is the second of four appendixes to the Rand study "Federal Programs Supporting Education Change." This appendix deals primarily with Right-To-Read, a federally administered program that funds innovative reading projects in schools that have been nominated by their district. It also contains descriptions of some Elementary Secondary…

The Young Adult Conservation Corps (YACC) was one of two federally funded youth conservation corps programs that existed prior to 1981. The other program, the Youth Conservation Corps, was a summer program, whereas the YACC operated on a year-round basis. In operation between 1977 and 1982, the YACC received funds of approximately $232 million…

Case studies were conducted of nine Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) prime sponsors which had records of successful cooperation with business firms. To identify strategies employed for increasing the participation of private employers in CETA programs, information was obtained at each site about the local program, labor market,…

The Targeted Jobs Demonstration Program (TJDP) was a two-year, six-agency demonstration project under which 14 communities received federal funds to encourage local coordination of federal programs to link federally assisted economic development programs with employment and training programs for individuals from minority groups and for…

Designed for use in programs implemented under the mandate of the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act (YEDPA) of 1976, this guide includes guidelines and models for conducting the evaluation, research, and demonstration efforts that local youth staff are expected to carry on in their own local YEDPA programs. The evaluation, research,…

The movement toward integration of qualitative and quantitative research methods within the same study has been most evident in social policy research. Four major approaches to integrating can be identified in recent studies. The sequential, the parallel, and the fused models have been rather widely used. The interactive model, developed during…

This annual directory describes current and newly expired projects funded under the United States Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services' (OSERS) Secondary and Transition Initiative. Project areas include family networking, secondary and transition services follow-up and follow-along projects, training and employment models for…

This report reviews and synthesizes the findings of the survey and fieldwork as presented in Volumes II and III. In particular, it summarizes the evidence concerning the effects of federal change agent policy. Section 1 introduces the report. Section 2 describes the theoretical approach that served as the basis for data collection and analysis.…