In 2022, the Center for the Study of Social Policy and Project SPARC conducted research to better understand the barriers experienced by parenting students participating in CalWORKs, California's cash assistance program for families with children. This brief highlights findings from the research on who parenting students are and their experiences…

This document synthesizes the findings from the evaluations of four statewide programs designed to provide support for underperforming schools and districts in California as part of the state accountability system: (1) Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program (II/USP); (2) High Priority Schools Grant (HPSG) Program; (3) School…

Many states with preschool programs, as well as other interested organizations and individuals, have undertaken research and evaluation efforts to improve their understanding of state preschool program implementation, results, and impacts. A 2004 review by Gilliam and Zigler examined state efforts to evaluate preschool programs from 1997 to 2003.…

The Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (subsequently renamed the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, or TOPS) was created via ACT 1375 during the 1997 Regular Legislative Session. The first college freshman class to receive TOPS awards entered postsecondary education in the fall of 1998. ACT 1202 of the 2001 Regular Legislative Session…

In today's uncertain economy, states and regions are experiencing myriad workforce challenges. In the short run, layoffs and unemployment resulting from the current economic downturn dictate an immediate need for education and training to prepare workers for key occupations. In the long run, states and regions continue to exist in a global economy…

Programs in Michigan, North Carolina, and Oklahoma, under the Vocational Rehabilitation Act were reviewed by the General Accounting Office to determine the ability of the programs to meet the needs of all handicapped persons and their effectiveness in helping individual handicapped persons. Under the act, before vocational rehabilitation services…

A report on the direction of improvement for a state system of adult basic education (ABE) is presented. The following aspects of the education program are discussed: need for improvement, plan for an improvement evaluation, objectives of ABE, and analysis and interpretation of 19 ABE in the state. (CK)

This National Council on Disability (NCD) report defines or describes financial incentives affecting people with disabilities and presents research findings in key areas of people's lives, such as education and health care. It also describes selected state-level innovations affecting asset development and wealth accumulation. In addition, the…

As part of Tennessee's educational needs assessment strategy, a study was conducted to determine parental perceptions of educational needs. In 1971, 3,150 copies of two forms (randomly distributed) of the School Assessment Questionnaire for Parents were distributed to the parents in six target school systems. Data were analyzed using the Sigma-9…

The Colorado Evaluation Project was funded to field test the Common Status Measures concurrently with Colorado's pilot program in assessment and evaluation. The primary purpose is to determine Colorado's educational needs, and the secondary purpose is to test procedures for assessment which can be replicated or adapted by local school districts or…

The Colorado Learner Needs Assessment (CLNA) is described, with operational models for sampling, computer analysis and reporting. The rationale of the program is discussed, followed by its specifications (scope, reporting possibilities, precision and data format), development (meetings, letters, preliminary tryout, sampling and analysis plans,…

Thirty-one school districts and Albuquerque High School and its feeder schools were evaluated in 1969-70 on 24 areas and 23 aspects of these areas, making possible a total of 552 recommendations for improvement. Districts surveyed ranged from a maximum of 178 recommendations to a minimum of 69. Program enrichment was found to be the area of…

This is the technical report of a study conducted to measure the impact of the cutbacks necessitated by Proposition 13 on the availability and quality of vocational education in California, recommend reforms in the priority-setting process for vocational education given reduced levels of support, and recommend changes in regulations and/or…

Since 1988, the Association of California Community College Administrators (ACCCA) has sponsored a statewide mentor program intended to prepare junior-level administrators for senior positions and to create a more diverse pool from which future college leaders can be drawn. This article is an initial report of this program. As the report…

The probability sample was a two-stage stratified sample. The first-stage units were schools and the second-stage units were students. Because certain subpopulations were oversampled, the data had to be weighted for analysis purposes. The analyses concerned contrasting North Carolina and its various subpopulations with the nation on standardized…