Building Bridges is charged with creating a statewide program for comprehensive dropout prevention, intervention, and retrieval (DPIR) programming, and to make annual recommendations to the legislature and the governor on DPIR best practices and system needs. Washington's graduation rate has steadily been increasing since 2021 with 83% of the…

The outcomes states gain from investing in postsecondary financial aid programs remain hotly debated, leading to great interest in developing programs that are both cost-effective and productive in helping states meet goals. In the 2012-13 academic year, states collectively provided approximately $11.2 billion in financial aid to students enrolled…

Illustrates trends and issues associated with public policies promoting early childhood program accreditation. Describes differential rate policies in Florida, New Mexico, Kentucky, Mississippi, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Oklahoma; support provided for accreditation in Arizona, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Texas, and Wisconsin; and linking…

Focusing on the development of unemployment insurance since the first federal legislation was enacted in 1935, this report provides the background and highlights of federal and New York State laws on coverage, the amount and direction of benefits, entitlement and disqualification provisions, and methods of financing. The first of three sections…

The "support not supplant" theory of family support services is explained, and results of a national study of trends in family support are analyzed. Current efforts, state legislation, funding levels, respite services, financial assistance, and emerging issues are discussed. A directory of state family support programs is appended. (PB)

Points to an increased national awareness of the importance to society of provision for children's and families' needs. This awareness has resulted in new levels of legislative action. Discusses what Alaska has and has not achieved, cites movements in other states, and offers a call to vigorous action. (NH)

This paper examines compensatory education and bilingual education programs, outlines their general characteristics, and discusses their differences. The following kinds of information are provided: (1) the nature of the authorizing legislation including patterns in the distribution of funds, (2) the criteria used to determine which students and…

To identify trends in institutional reform and deinstitutionalization of the developmentally disabled, 34 administrative documents emanating from a federally funded planning grant program were examined. Documents were gathered in response to a survey letter to state Developmental Disabilities Councils, and fact sheets summarizing the documents…

Applying item response theory, and the Rasch model in particular, to measure trends and examine policy coherence in state education reform shows a change in the picture of state leadership and a generalized pattern of policy making among the states. Using item response theory in policy analysis is explored. (SLD)

The monograph examines the status and needs of state family support efforts over the last decade, based on interviews with 83 people in state Developmental Disabilities Councils and various state agencies. An introductory section provides an historical context for family support, presents a synthesis of state family support efforts, and delineates…

Presented are 37 position papers and two addresses given at the national conference of the National Advisory Council on Services and Facilities for the Developmentally Disabled in November, 1972. Cited are conference objectives to encourage understanding and effective implementation of the Developmental Disabilities Act of 1970, provide technical…

The mental health policies of the past 20 years and the evidence of unserved populations suffering from serious mental illness constitute a public health crisis. Currently there are at least 3,000,000 people in the United States suffering from mental disorders. A fully developed continuum of care is needed to respond effectively to the diverse…

Many mentally ill children, especially those who are seriously disturbed, are not receiving the mental health care they need. Although the federal government offers financing to the states for child and adolescent mental health programming, the primary responsibility for financing mental health services has been assumed by state governments. At…

A survey of 47 state child protection services assessed the status of implementation of out-of-home protection programs since 1984. The survey addressed state law and regulations, reporting out-of-home abuse and neglect, properly constituted authority, independent investigative agencies, role of licensing, training, and staff and foster parent…

Without changes in Michigan's unemployment insurance law, the state's unemployment insurance debt will probably reach $3.8 billion by the end of 1985. Currently, Michigan's employers pay unemployment insurance tax rates that vary from 1 to 9 percent, depending upon the amount of benefits charged against their accounts. Beginning with the federal…