This report describes the activities of the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) during the 1995-96 fiscal year. It provides an overview of student and parent financial aid programs, including the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), the largest state grant program in the United States. Major advances reported for 1995-96…

This monograph presents long-range plans of South Carolina's "Continuum of Care for Emotionally Disturbed Children" program, which provides community based services to children and adolescents with severe disturbances, through coordination and utilization of public, private, and individual services. An executive summary notes that 323…

This report presents preliminary findings of a 5-year study evaluating the effectiveness of state-funded prekindergarten programs in Texas. The two components of the study included in this report are (1) a statewide survey of 507 school districts, focusing on prekindergarten program characteristics, implementation, and parents' perceptions of the…

An evaluative study was done of California's Bilingual Education Program, the goal of which has been to teach English and other academic skills to more than half a million students with limited English backgrounds. While the State Department of Education provided no comprehensive evaluation, there is evidence that some components have been…

The Louisiana Accelerated Schools Project (LASP) is a statewide network of schools that are changing from the traditional mode of schooling for at-risk students, which stresses remediation, to one of acceleration, which stresses accelerated learning for all students. The accelerated schools process provides a systematic approach to the…

In 1987, Florida anticipated the federal Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Program with Project Independence, a statewide welfare-to-work program. It was structured to increase employment among Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients as quickly as possible, primarily through job search activities. An evaluation was begun in 9…

This report is one in a series of studies by the Children's Defense Fund examining state policies and practices in child care and early childhood education. It is based on comprehensive surveys conducted in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 1991 and 1993 to examine Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) child care policies and…

This report contains the findings and recommendations of a review of the residential services system for South Dakota adults with developmental disabilities, based on site visits, interviews, and an analysis of documents and materials. The policy analysis report examines how South Dakota could implement a…

In compliance with 1983 state legislation, the Florida Postsecondary Education Planning Commission reviewed five Regional Coordinating Councils for Vocational and Adult General Education during 1990-91, focusing on staffing arrangements. As part of the review process, the commission distributed a questionnaire to all 28 of the councils' executive…

A statewide sustained effort to improve student learning in Missouri by adopting and adapting promising research-based educational practices is described. The concept of an Instructional Management System (IMS) with desired learner outcomes determining both instruction and testing was suggested to local school districts beginning in 1980. In 1985,…

Kentucky's PACE program, which was designed to provide adult basic education and parenting skills training for parents, early childhood education for children, and parent-child interaction and learning, lacks proof for the validity of its theoretical base and service model. Questions that need to be resolved before widespread replication of the…

This report on a spring retreat for participants in the New York State Community School Pilot Project emphasizes the need to develop and strengthen collaboration between schools and other organizations and individuals with widely diverse interests. Ninety-seven people attended, including representatives from each of the 14 school districts…

Developed for the Texas Reading Club, a program sponsored cooperatively by local libraries and the Texas State Library and designed to encourage children and their parents to read and use the library, this planning handbook is intended to help librarians and volunteers organize and manage a local reading club. The Texas Reading Club program is…

This study provides a description of a program initiated in 1980 by the Maryland State Education Agency (SEA). The School Improvement through Instructional Process (SITIP) program presents data for a study involving educators in 19 of 24 local education agencies. The SITIP design includes nine areas of activity: (1) SEA preparation; (2) building…

This guide outlines the methods for organizing and using vocational technical advisory committees in secondary schools in Massachusetts. It is intended to be used as the basis for school staff training to be conducted by personnel at the State Department of Education's Regional Education Centers. The guide provides illustrations and exhibits of…