Within Massachusetts alone, 23,000 students are experiencing homelessness. And, with the expiration of COVID-era protections like an eviction moratorium and rental assistance, many experts predict that number will increase. Child and family homelessness is associated with a host of negative outcomes including poor physical and mental health, lower…

This fact sheet provides demographic information for the young Dual Language Learner (DLL) population in Massachusetts, based on Migration Policy Institute (MPI) analysis of U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) data pooled over the 2011-15 period. DLLs, defined as children ages 8 and under with at least one parent who speaks a…

Children who are diagnosed with autism before three years old gain access to Early Intensive Specialized Services (EISS), which can result in significant improvements in social skills, communication, adaptive behavior, and cognitive functioning. Studies have found that children with autism who begin intervention earlier improve more in their…

The report examines the initiatives of state education agencies in the Northeast and Islands Region (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the Virgin Islands) to support data-driven decisionmaking in districts and schools and describes the service providers hired to support this work. Four…

The report examines the initiatives of state education agencies in the Northeast and Islands Region to support data-driven decisionmaking in districts and schools and describes the service providers hired to support this work. Four components of data-driven decisionmaking initiatives are identified: (1) Centralized data system/warehouse; (2) Tools…

The directory lists alphabetically-by-town campus libraries in Massachusetts which provide special facilities for handicapped individuals. Each library is listed with the following information: place; name (including address, phone number, and name of library); person to contact; services (such as special privileges to reserve materials or staff…

The Charter School Office has created the Opening Procedures Handbook as a tool to assist charter school founding groups prepare for the exciting, yet challenging, task of opening a Massachusetts public charter school. The Handbook summarizes the opening procedures process, identifies the action items that must be completed prior to the school's…

This brief report compares the perspectives of funding agencies and community-based minority organizations (CBMOs) serving individuals with disabilities on the grant development and decision-making process. A survey that attempted to identify needs in existing grant development and service capacity was responded to by 41 funding agencies and 81…

Results of a cost-effectiveness analysis of early intervention services in Massachusetts indicate that for a given investment, children demonstrate different levels of improvement in adaptive behavior and child-mother interaction depending on the severity of their disability and the age of entry into intervention. (SLD)

Contents of this summary report on the Project of Early Identification of Children with Potential Learning Disabilities, carried out from Fall 1968 through Fall 1969 by the Wellesley Public Schools with a grant from the State Department of Education under Title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, include the following topics:…

The final report of an 18-month study on the undergraduate experience by the Massachusetts State Board of Regents of Higher Education is presented. The principal focus is academic matters, and one intention is to support requests for funding which, when combined with existing and reallocated resources, will form the fiscal basis for strengthening…

Described is a pilot resource center program for mainstreaming and serving 123 special needs children (ages 3-21) as mandated in Chapter 766 (Massachusetts Special Education Law). The resource center program is explained in the first section as a service, as a success center, as an in-house team, as a beneficial program, and as a special service…

This review examined the evaluation components from 10 awarded state improvement grants designed to improve systems providing services for students with disabilities. The review examined the following aspects of the evaluation components: purposes, conceptual framework for the evaluation and systems reform, evaluation design and approaches,…

The monograph presents essential components of a decision making sequence used to incorporate formalized family assessment and service planning procedures into two existing early intervention programs in Massachusetts. The 1-year effort used a consultant to: (1) redefine screening and assessment processes to include both child and family centered…

THIS REPORT ASSESSES TITLE I COMPENSATORY EDUCATION PROJECTS FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUTH IN MASSACHUSETTS. THE PROJECTS ARE DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF ADMINISTRATIVE SUPERVISORY SERVICES, PLANS FOR EVALUATION AND INFORMATION DISSEMINATION, PROBLEM AREAS, COORDINATION WITH COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAMS, INTERRELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER TITLES OF THE ELEMENTARY AND…