The Policy Practice in Field Initiative was created to seed innovation and develop new models for an integrated approach to enhance the policy skill set of all social work students regardless of specialization. Funds provided to the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) are regranted to schools and programs of social work for field placement and…

The Minnesota Principals Academy (MPA) is an 18-month executive development program designed to enhance the performance of school leaders and improve educational outcomes for students. MPA uses the National Institute for School Leadership (NISL) executive development program, to provide principals with research-based information that they can use…

The Midwest Expansion of the Child-Parent Center Education Program (MCPC) is a pre-K to 3rd grade intervention program aimed at improving economically disadvantaged children's school success by enhancing continuity in instruction and increasing parental involvement. Opened in Chicago in the 1960s, this school reform model has undergone significant…

The Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) program at the University of Minnesota is a primary academic support program for historically difficult, introductory college courses that serve as gatekeepers to academic degree programs. Based upon operating principles of other academic support programs and educational theories, PAL is integrated into the courses…

Systematic evaluation is an essential tool for understanding program effectiveness. This article describes the pilot test of a statewide evaluation tool for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed). A computer algorithm helped Community Nutrition Educators (CNEs) build surveys specific to their varied educational settings…

Quality Rating Systems (QRS) are currently operating, under development, or being piloted in over 25 states or local areas. As the QRS model becomes integrated into the landscape of child care and education service delivery, policy, and the decisions parents make about child care across the United States, there is an increasing need for…

Project Early Kindergarten (PEK) aims to improve the school-readiness of Saint Paul children and help close the achievement gap through offering high-quality educational experiences for preschool children. This report comes at the conclusion of the sixth year of PEK. Following an initial planning year (2004-05), PEK has served children through the…

The Saint Paul Public Schools' Project Early Kindergarten program aims to improve the school readiness of Saint Paul children. The program offers a rigorous academic approach and targets children who are English Language Learners, come from low-income families, or need Special Education services. Ultimately, the program intends to help close Saint…

Context: Founded in 1971 with state funding to increase the number of primary care physicians in rural Minnesota, the Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP) has graduated 1,175 students. Third-year medical students are assigned to primary care physicians in rural communities for 9 months where they experience the realities of rural practice with…

Outlines some of the achievements of the Summer Program for Economically Disadvantaged Youth (SPEDY) during the summer of 1978. Four programs in Virginia, Minnesota, Texas, and Washington are examined not because they are exemplary but because they illustrate what is happening in some of the better youth employment programs around the country. (CT)

To explicate the factors behind standards implementation, the results of a project to develop and pilot test a process that bridges the gap between setting standards and improving student achievement is presented. The text focuses on the Implementing Academic Standards (IAS) program, which was designed to develop and pilot-test a process for…

This document is the first of two volumes describing the activities of the Tri-State Parenting Collaborative (TSPC) Project, conducted in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota during the period from 1977 through 1982. The TSPC linked state education agencies, universities, local schools, community groups, and an education development center in…

This booklet describes the Minnesota model for small business management education. The content is presented in five parts. The first discusses the economic role of small business and the need for small business management education. Part 2 discusses the development of the Minnesota model for management education for both farmers and small…

Addressed to the Minnesota State Legislature, this report on Minnesota's Early Childhood Health and Developmental Screening Program discusses issues related to program goals and program implementation, overviews the program, and reports and summarizes statewide program results for 1985-86. Issues discussed concern responsibility for the program,…

This document summarizes the first 3 years (June 1965-September 1968) of the Minnesota Research Coordination Unit's operation. Described are: (1) the factors which influenced the evolution of Unit objectives, (2) the organizational structure, personnel and facilities, (3) the Unit activities which were related to its objectives, (4) a subjective…