Schools should be safe places for young people, educators, school staff, and community members, and policies and practices can help create learning environments where kids thrive. Gun violence in U.S. schools has prompted calls for increased school safety measures; however, which policies contribute to safe school environments is often a topic of…

This report explains savings accounts and low-deposit investments in order to help consumers determine which accounts are right for them. It is divided into the following four sections (topics covered are listed in parentheses): (1) the savings program (setting savings goals, saving regularly, choosing a savings account, interest, the savings…

To be economically secure, families need both income and assets. Regular income helps families pay for their daily living expenses. In contrast, families need assets to weather financial hardships and get ahead. Assets provide a safety net for coping with unanticipated expenses and emergencies that could otherwise cause significant financial…

Case studies demonstrate four capital packaging approaches: a comprehensive statewide enterprise program for Pennsylvania; a county-based industrial development fund in Chautauqua County, New York; an employee buyout in Saratoga Springs, New York; and establishment of a small venture capital company in the Kentucky Highlands with Office of…

Rural development is a democratic process involving local people in the analysis of their problems. It requires involvement from public and private organizations to deliver technical information, education, resources, organization, and other forms of tangible support. Diversity of lifestyles, changing energy costs, small inexpensive computers, and…

Local public officials may be confronted with the use of economic multipliers when asked to react to project proposals, to environmental impact statements, or to other studies containing economic impact analyses. Employment, income, and output multipliers are tools for estimating private sector economic impacts of a new development within a local…

This study presents the most comprehensive picture, to date, of public investments in the education and development of children by three age groupings--the early learning years (roughly 0-5), the school-aged years (roughly 6-18), and the college-aged years (roughly 19-23). It is based upon detailed analysis of state, federal, and school district…

One in a series of booklets whose purpose is to stimulate greater and more effective understanding of world affairs among Americans, this five-chapter report explores Africa's attempts to lay the developmental foundations of a prosperous, modern economy shaped and molded to the cultural norms of the African people. Four central points addressed…

Articles and resources of interest to West Virginia women are presented in this 10-part sourcebook. Part 1 focuses on work and includes articles describing the state job outlook, job hunting, sex discrimination, and union organization. Part 2, on learning, covers college and high school equivalency programs, financial aid, and women's studies.…