This article describes Options for Justice, an agency that provides education and training to professionals and direct services to offenders with developmental disabilities. Recommendations for developing and implementing similar programs are offered. Areas addressed include assessing need, funding, selection of program services, staffing, the…

Professional development (PD) for the improvement of educational practice has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. Although experts acknowledge the importance of PD, many PD programmes have little effect on educational practice. This article identifies influences on the effective implementation of Invitational Education (IE) within…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of learning in a project-driven organization and demonstrate analytically how the learning, which takes place during the execution of successive projects, and the forgetting that takes place during the dormant time between the project executions, can impact performance and productivity in…

This guide offers advice and guidance to key skills managers, coordinators and other practitioners who are responsible for ensuring that the standards of portfolio assessment in their center are consistent across the center and with national standards. It describes and offers advice and guidance on the stages of assessment and internal moderation…

A discussion of the role of bilingual education programs focuses on their function as a district-wide or school-wide reform effort, rather than as a discrete program within a larger system. It is proposed that this approach requires changes in the traditional roles of school personnel and thoughtful attention to how to involve all participants.…

The National Center for Children in Poverty has recently conducted research on case management in service integration projects, with the core information coming from 16 projects for children around the country. This brief describes the training and experience that case managers bring to their jobs and receive on the job, how prepared they feel to…

This document is intended to be a guide for action for people concerned about the youths who live alone on the streets of America without the nurturing, protection, and supervision of caring adults. It describes the varied activities, knowledge, and skills and outreach program needs to provide services to these youth who are living on the streets.…

This paper reviews the components of three critical dimensions that must be considered during the implementation of distance learning processes: essential conditions, educational consensus about teaching and learning, and telecommunications technology capacity. These dimensions lay the foundation that affects future decisions about school…

The ExceL through Innovation grants program provides funding for elementary campuses to implement 4-year instructional and staff development programs designed to raise student achievement. All 66 campuses of the Austin Independent School District (Texas) received ExceL funding for the 1996-97 and 1997-98 school years, with the funded amount based,…

The planning and implementing of a rural instructional television fixed service (ITFS) distance education program at California State University-Fresno (CSUF) is described. The three important functions of establishing a distance education program within a learning institution are addressed: telecommunications networking, management…

This document's purpose is to establish the minimum standards for approval of programs for education of gifted students in Arkansas. Guidelines are included to: (1) enable school districts to establish equitable criteria for identification of gifted and talented students; (2) establish programs which will lead to appropriate educational…

This chapter on designing and implementing effective staff development programs is taken from a guide to instruction and services for students with disabilities. The chapter focuses on assessment of staff development needs and identification of priorities for training. Staff development options are discussed in terms of formats (such as workshops,…

A project was developed and implemented to increase developmentally appropriate activities for children in 79 Orange County, Florida, public schools participating in the Extended Day Enrichment Program (EDEP). Personnel from the EDEP were enlisted to produce curriculum kits, resource portfolios, cultural immersion workshops, and music, art, dance,…

A staff-needs planning system was developed and tested in a Department of Social Services' Family and Children's Services Unit in a medium-sized county where caseworkers used no established strategy or planning method to facilitate accomplishment of all the job requirements. The goal of the study was to implement a planning system based on each…

This report on the fourth year of Colorado's participation in Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act describes major accomplishments in preparing for full implementation of Part H in Year 5. Accomplishments in the following areas are discussed: state definition of developmental delay, central directory, timetables for serving…