Findings of a study that examined the role of the state education agency (SEA) in implementing innovative projects within school districts are presented in this paper. The following federal programs were investigated: (1) the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title III, Innovative Projects; (2) ESEA Title VII, Bilingual Projects; (3)…

In the current context of standards-based reform and heightened accountability for school performance, state education agencies (SEAs) have an important, but not yet well-articulated, role to play in local school improvement efforts. This article starts to articulate such a role by examining the variety of approaches and strategies used by 7 SEAs…

This paper presents a general model that state and local educational agencies can follow in implementing Chapter 1 requirements for student program improvement. The model follows Chapter 1 statute and regulations, focuses efforts at program improvement on the educational needs of individual students, and is general enough that it can be adapted to…

Concerns have been raised about the Department of Education's (Education) role in overseeing the lenders and schools that participate in the largest of the federal government's student loan programs, the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). GAO was asked to analyze Education's use of its oversight, guidance, and enforcement authorities…

The Reading First program was designed to help students in kindergarten through third grade develop stronger reading skills. This report examines the implementation of the Reading First program, including: (1) changes that have occurred to reading instruction; (2) criteria states have used to award sub-grants to districts, and the difficulties, if…

This manual for state agencies suggests law and policy changes that meet the new Federal requirements under Title I of the Family Support Act, passed in 1988 and the Title IV-D of the 1974 Social Security Act, both of which enable states to act to locate parents and enforce child support orders. Chapter 1 of this report is the introduction.…

This handbook provides basic information on the roles, organizational issues, and program activities that will influence the effectiveness of private industry councils (PICs) set up under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) of 1982. Intended to guide PICs on the issues involved, it should be useful to members and staff of existing PICs and…

This report presents the findings from the first of three rounds of research in a projected 3-year study of the way state governments have begun to implement the new Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS). JOBS is a part of the Family Support Act of 1988 and provides employment, education, and training services that recipients…

The Job Training Partnership Act of 1982 continues a long-standing federal commitment to help disadvantaged persons prepare to obtain employment. The legislation works primarily through a locally based program delivery system to provide remedial education, training, and employment assistance to low-income and long-term unemployed youth and adults.…

With the reorganization of the Experimental Schools Council, administrative support and power were mobilized and the Experimental Schools (ES) project in New Hampshire's North Country Supervisory Union began to accomplish its goals in its third year. The project was hampered by the independence of the three districts included in the loose…

The first in a series of publications addressing issues of linkage and coordination of job training programs in Texas, this paper focuses on the background of federal and state events requiring new strategies for coordination of job training programs in Texas and examines the nature and purpose of coordination of job training activities and…