Some young children show signs that they may not be learning in an expected manner, even during the prekindergarten (PreK) years. These children may exhibit learning challenges in areas such as developing language, counting objects, hearing differences in letter sounds, paying attention during story time, or learning how to write. Teachers,…

In 2006, more than 6 million individuals were victimized by violent crimes. Although violence is below levels of the early 1990s, it remains high. The extent of violence and its impact highlight a critical need to develop and implement effective programs to reduce violence and victimization. Communities have initiated a wide range of such…

Creating and sharing a common vision is a critical element for the success of afterschool programs. This tool is intended to help the growing number of new afterschool partnerships create a shared vision for their work. It contains information to educate partners on what a vision statement is and the purpose it serves; provides two alternative…

This issue focuses on support and cooperation among various components of the educational community, specifically as this has been achieved by the Willamette Valley (Oregon) Education Consortium, a research-based organization of school districts, educational agencies, and an institute of higher education. The first article describes how schools…

This resource guide outlines procedures for efficiently and effectively planning and implementing transition programming for at-risk students. Based on a review and synthesis of needs assessment systems in transition programs, a flow chart is presented showing step-by-step procedures recommended for local transition needs assessments. Steps in the…

This guide describes a collaborative approach to high quality and relevant evaluation of a workplace basic skills program that can be carried out as part of normal program operations. It is designed for use by educators, union representatives, managers, supervisors, participating employees, and funders. The guide is organized into five phases. In…

A conceptual framework that provides a mechanism for anticipating the worth and potential success of staff development activities, in advance of their implementation, is described. In the first section, descriptions are given of the four main components of the staff development framework: defining staff development, salient organizational…

This report describes the procedures of a systemwide testing program established by the Ottawa, Ontario, education board to evaluate high school student performance in selected courses. The project was initiated in response to a directive from trustees, who were concerned about variation of academic standards among students in relation to…

Partnerships between schools and businesses are becoming more frequent and more reciprocal as the two find common interests; the Salem-Keizer (Oregon) Public Schools provide a nationally recognized example of such a partnership. Salem's program began in 1981 with a joint school board and Chamber of Commerce policy statement. Despite economic…

This document is an annual status report summarizing findings of the first full year of operation of the Spencerport (New York) More Effective Schools/Teaching Project. Section 1 describes four documents (reprinted in Appendices A through D) that were developed during the project; reviews the assumptions, concepts, and research findings upon which…

This booklet contains examples of a number of different ways in which companies can support or utilize the new job training system created by the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) of 1982. Described first are Hewlett-Packard's efforts to provide strong corporate leadership on behalf of the job training partnership. The second section includes…

Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC) is discussed as an emerging and effective model of home-school collaboration and shared problem solving. A case study is presented to demonstrate how practitioners can use CBC to deliver high quality consultation and intervention services to students, teachers, and parents in a real world setting. An…

Designed as a reference tool for use at state and local levels by administrators, teachers, and parent groups, the document consolidates research on special education, school and classroom effectiveness, and other indicators of effectiveness and quality into a consistent format. Introductory material orients users, and contextual factors…

This report describes and analyzes the transition process used at Savanna High School, Anaheim, California, and documents the unique contribution of the school's Independent Living Skills Transition Center. The report's seven sections focus on: (1) transition definitions and the need for a shared definition among agency personnel; (2) team…

This report describes how successful statewide programs of educational standards and assessment are established and briefly discusses causes of program failure. Four key stages characterize effective program establishment: (1) planning, (2) development, (3) implementation, and (4) monitoring. Planning involves interaction among all parties, for…