Across the United States, educators and education leaders are increasingly recognizing the value of social and emotional learning (SEL), school climate, and related whole-person efforts as keys to enabling student success. Many school districts are still exploring or just beginning implementation of these whole-person efforts, and many have…

A quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) is a voluntary state assessment system that uses multidimensional data on early childhood education programs to rate program quality, support quality improvement efforts, and provide information to families about the quality of available early childhood education programs. QRISs have two components:…

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…

Early childhood is a critical time for cognitive, social, and behavioral development. Many states have invested in comprehensive early childhood care and education systems that offer a wide range of supports and services to families from the prenatal period through school entry. Home visiting programs are an important component of state early…

The "Local Technology Plan Guidelines" serve as the basis for the Department's annual technology data collection. This report takes a look at the data submitted by 344 school districts, examining the progress Massachusetts school districts are making in meeting the recommended guidelines. In doing so, it will gauge the degree to which…

The state validation process in New York identifies promising practices developed through the Elementary Secondary Education Act Title IV-C funding. The new validation procedures included in this handbook are revised to: (1) make the evaluation process easier to apply; (2) provide technical assistance in evaluating the project; (3) extend…

The Colorado Preschool Program (CPP) provides funding to establish quality early childhood education programs that serve children eligible to enroll in kindergarten the following year. A vital component of CPP is to strengthen families and support them as participants in their child's education. District Councils made up of representatives of key…

The monograph presents guidelines for early intervention services for handicapped infants and their families. Guidelines are the result of a 1980 conference on health issues in early identification programs. Three state of the art papers are included: "Infancy, What We Know and What We Need to Know as a Basis for Intervention" by A. Korner; "Child…

As required by Public Law 100-146, states must submit to the Administration on Developmental Disabilities data concerning services to persons with developmental disabilities. This paper reviews relevant literature to establish a theoretical framework, definitions, and suggestions for extent, scope, eligibility requirements, and measures of…

This guide defines a methodology for program monitoring and discusses positive results achieved in Pennsylvania by implementing Instrument-based Program Monitoring (IPM) in the field of child day care services. IPM uses checklists or special questionnaires to structure monitoring interviews and site visits. This method differs substantially from…

This booklet is designed to assist schools or school systems in analyzing and evaluating student writing, writing instruction, and the writing program. The basic assumption is that improving the writing program needs to be a school-wide effort coordinated across K-12 grade levels, not an individual or isolated effort. After an overview and advice…

Local agencies' use of funds provided through the federal Chapter 2 program vary greatly among urban, suburban, large, and small classifications. Responses to the program have been positive in all geographic regions, primarily because of flexibility in meeting local needs and simplified administrative application. (CJH)

This program review guide discusses the Colorado Education Improvement Program, a process that enables local school districts and the Colorado Department of Education to provide quality education to Colorado's children, including migrant children. The purposes of the program are: (1) to provide a process for state education officials to supervise…

The Comprehensive Basic Skills Program Review (CBSPR) is an essential part of the New Jersey public school evaluation and improvement process. This group of handbooks describes a process for analyzing existing school programs and practices in relation to those factors which have been identified through research to be associated with successful…

Sixteen vocational education evaluation problems which indicate the present situation in the states are discussed, and alternative solutions to them are suggested in this report. Each problem represents a situation that should be remedied or a need that must be met and was found to be common to a number of states attempting to develop or improve…