In cities and towns across America, millions of children and youth get out of school by mid-afternoon but have neither a safe, supervised place to go nor a structured or engaging activity in which to participate. Because the hours between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. are when young people are most likely to be affected by crime or to engage in risky…

Investigated how state officials most directly involved in hunter education programs perceive problems associated with these programs. Major concerns and constraints focused on: program instruction; course content; and program communication, funding, and evaluation. Includes recommendations (based on analyses of concerns/constraints) to…

This report reviews key issues and problems addressed at a national conference on transportation for the elderly and handicapped. The first section presents an executive summary, which details the following major problems (identified in the seven general sessions and four workshops): the need for more coordination of funding sources; better…

This plan is intended to: summarize for the Board of Regents, the State Education Department, New York State libraries, agencies and organizations with an interest in library services, and interested citizens of the State, the goals, priorities, activities, and evaluation methodology of the programs undertaken for the improvement of library…

The comprehensive study of California's child care delivery system reported in this document was designed to: (1) identify the unmet child care needs of California families; (2) develop a comprehensive vision of quality child care services; (3) examine the inefficiencies in the current system; (4) and draft specific recommendations for federal,…

Youth corrections in California is at a crossroads. In response to the near universal recognition of California's failed approach to youth corrections, Governor Schwarzenegger, with support from the California Legislature, has launched one of the largest restructuring initiatives of youth corrections in state history. Reforms currently underway…

Title IV-B of the Social Security Act authorizes federal funding for services to help families address problems leading to child abuse and neglect and prevent unnecessary separation of children from their families. Subpart 1 of Title IV-B provides funds for almost any child welfare activity, but has statutory limits on foster care maintenance and…

This fact book presents findings of the Children's Defense Fund's fourth annual survey on child care funding and priorities, and consists of five sections which provide an overview of states' child care activities, information about specific policies, and contacts in each state who can provide more detailed information. Section 1 presents recent…

This report encompasses the evaluation of vocational-technical education in four New Mexico post-secondary vocational-technical education schools. The first section provides an overview of the state and national settings within which these educational programs operate. A second section reports on the four schools individually, giving a collective…

The Illinois Children's Mental Health Task Force was convened in 2002 to assess the status of Illinois' mental health system for children from birth to age 18, and to develop short- and long-term recommendations for assuring that all Illinois children have access to coordinated and comprehensive mental health services and programs. This report is…

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 (with its reauthorizations) is designed to help disadvantaged children meet challenging content and performance standards. Part A of Title I provides financial assistance through State educational agencies to local education agencies (LEAs) to meet the educational needs of…

This State Policy Update provides background on professional development (PD) in adult education. Section 2 describes survey methods used to document how states funded and designed their PD systems. Section 3 reviews data collected by the survey of state PD systems, highlighting PD activities in Kentucky, New York, Oregon, and Tennessee. It…

This document outlines the five-year Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) plan for the state of Wisconsin. Following a profile of the libraries in Wisconsin, this plan describes several priorities and LSTA funded activities for each of the following goals: (1) to ensure that libraries and library systems utilize technology to improve…

This document outlines the five-year Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) plan for the state of Iowa. The background of library services in Iowa is outlined, followed by the development of the Five-Year Plan. The new federal legislation authorizing LSTA offered Iowa an opportunity to (1) re-examine the strengths of Iowa libraries and what is…

This report on child care services is based on: (1) a review of program administration at the central and regional offices of the Social and Rehabilitation Service and the Office of Child Development, and (2) a review of selected child care providers in nine states. The program and fiscal management at each administrative level were evaluated,…