This bibliography summarizes recent research on the structure and effectiveness of workforce development programs. While the term "workforce development" can mean many things, this document focuses on programs to help low-skill, low-wage and displaced workers increase their employment and earnings, as well as labor market trends that…

In 1965, President Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act, giving birth to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts. The act declared, "Democracy demands wisdom and vision in its citizens. It must therefore foster and support a form of education, and access to the arts…

Nearly all governors have designated a state early childhood advisory council to advise policymakers in the state on how to best meet the needs of children from birth to school entry. Early childhood advisory councils in the states vary in their structure and scope, but all of them provide recommendations on improving the quality, availability,…

Unaccompanied homeless youth appear to be one of the fastest growing and most vulnerable segments of the larger homeless population, but flawed information-gathering by government entities makes it impossible to be sure. This issue brief examines reasons why the plight of unaccompanied homeless youth is not fully captured through current models of…

The Biennial Report presents a summary of programs and services provided by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction for 2007-2009. The State Superintendent notes that while North Dakota's education system is good, slippage in test scores is occurring, cracks in the education system are developing and some students are falling through…

The purpose of this study was to examine all states' participation guidelines for alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) and to analyze these guidelines for common and contrasting themes. State alternate assessment participation guidelines were found for all 50 states. Participation guidelines were coded, and 12…

On February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law. Passed in response to the 2008 recession, the Act's purpose was to create jobs, pump money into the economy, and encourage spending. Through the Act, states received $1.2 billion in funding for the workforce investment system to provide…

There are now nearly four million children born in the United States who have undocumented immigrant parents. In the current debates around immigration reform, policymakers often view immigrants as an economic or labor market problem to be solved, but the issue has a very real human dimension. Immigrant parents without legal status are raising…

This set of briefing materials is designed to provide policymakers at the federal and state levels, journalists, and others with a quick overview of youth apprenticeship in the United States today. Chapter 1 describes what youth apprenticeship is. A map showing the beginnings of a nationwide youth apprenticeship system is provided. Chapter 2 on…

This annual report describes Illinois activities in the implementation of a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated system of early intervention services for eligible infants and toddlers and their families, as called for under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The report provides: (1) discussion of progress in each of the 14…

The 1983 Federal fiscal year is a year of transition from the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) to the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982 (JTPA). Unlike CETA, which included public service employment provisions, the entire thrust of JTPA is on training for unsubsidized employment. The purpose of the new law is to prepare youth and…

This document presents the legislative program advocated by the Governor of Arkansas that was scheduled to be sent to the Arkansas Legislature in January 1989. The program expresses the needs of the state in terms of its ability to compete with the rest of the country in education, jobs, economic development, and prosperity, and it points out the…

This document contains the reports on audits of the one-stop systems in California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Vermont. The overall audit conclusions were as follows: (1) the states have made substantial efforts toward forming new comprehensive workforce investment systems as mandated by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA); (2)…

Reviews some of the institutions, legislation, and court decisions that represent state and federal efforts in the United States on behalf of children, including White House Conferences on Children and Youth, the Sheppard-Towner Act of 1921, the National School Lunch Act of 1946, the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision in 1954, and…

Media reports suggest widespread illiteracy among adults who may not be able to read, write, speak, or otherwise communicate competently enough to meet the demands of modern society. No consensus has been reached regarding a definition of illiteracy or supporting statistics. Estimates of adult illiteracy range form 0.5% to 50%, meaning that of the…