A statewide effort to identify stressors in state-level social service institutions in Iowa led one state health agency to establish a stress management project. A pilot program singularly focused on communication as the key tool in reducing stress and managing stress. A longitudinal study surveyed agency employees at the Iowa Veteran's Home in…

The Seashore Teacher Professional Certification Program developed by Seattle University, Washington, in collaboration with three school districts, is being implemented in several phases. Phase 1 consisted of mentor support for new teachers, and Phase 2 established a site-based support program. Phase 3 consisted of graduate program coursework for…

The purpose of this study was to determine which states have experimental, pilot, or innovative program (EPOIP) clauses in their state licensure documents and how many of the existing clauses are being used by teacher education institutions (TEIs). These special clauses allow teacher education programs, which might significantly differ from…

The Connecticut State Legislature has adopted sweeping telecommunications legislation that will enhance distance education in the state through cable television and telecommunications technologies. This legislation eradicates the delimitation on cable operators of one-way transmission of cable signals and removes the primary statutory restriction…

A desire to raise student achievement levels is leading many educators and parents to work for restructuring and reforming U.S. schools. One of the many areas in which this effort is proving to be complex is the question of changing college admission criteria to respond to the changes in curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment that are occurring at…

A meta-assessment is provided of 15 pilot projects aimed at demonstrating how student outcomes of various kinds can be used to assess the effectiveness of general education and baccalaureate degree programs. The Student Outcomes Assessment projects funded by Academic Program Improvement grants of the California state university system, have…

Reported are the execution and outcomes of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) Performance Funding Project at Tennessee Technological University, a pilot project seeking to explore the question of whether it is desirable and possible to allocate state funds to community colleges and universities on a performance effectiveness…

Background information and a status report are provided on the second-year activities of the Transfer Center Pilot Program (TCPP). The TCPP was initiated in 1985 to further intersegmental efforts to stimulate the number and percent of community college students who transfer to four-year institutions. The TCCP operates through highly visible…

The Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) is charged with overseeing state higher education resources, guided by two goals: (1) Increasing opportunities for students to earn degrees; and (2) Developing a higher education system responsive to the state's economic needs. Key strategies include the development of new planning tools…

This paper presents an overview of the regulatory, technological, and economic status of interactive distance learning in Connecticut as it relates to the current and future provisioning of services by the telecommunications and cable television industries. The review is predicated upon the following questions: (1) What obligations should the…

Forms of reasoning and problem solving required of students by innovative assessment projects in science are examined. The initial phase identified activities and school systems where new forms of science assessment were being piloted. The following are general dimensions of performance that were identified: (1) structured, integrated knowledge;…

In 1988 the Kentucky Supreme Court upheld a previous decision that the state public education system had failed to provide an efficient system of common schools. The Kentucky Educational Reform Act (KERA, 1990) came from this decision. This paper reviews the restructuring of a primary school under the KERA, focusing on one collaborative effort…

This report summarizes evaluation of data collected during 1996-97 for a project of the Iowa Distance Education Alliance, a partnership of Iowa educational institutions including the Iowa Department of Education, Iowa Public Television, the state's three regent institutions, Iowa's 15 community colleges, the 15 Area Education Agencies, and Local…

The stages of development and reporting of a statewide needs assessment about inservice teacher education that was conducted with educators in Alabama during the 1992-93 school year are described. The first phase was development of a pilot instrument by focus groups. The instrument was tested with 559 workshop participants, and the final…

The elements of a comprehensive statewide plan for educational improvement in North Dakota are viewed in condensed form in this document. The plan prescribes an expanded leadership role for the State Department of Education and requires a vital new commitment of higher education to the problems of public education. Educational objectives of the…