If rewards are to be used as a school-reform tool, their formats must be more closely tailored to the organizational characteristics of schools and to the purpose of improving teaching and learning. This paper describes lessons learned from Kentucky's collective incentive system, the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). The…

This book chapter describes the 14-year evolution of Community Behavioral Services, a provincial government-operated program in Edmonton, Alberta. The program began in 1976 as a residential treatment facility for individuals having mental retardation and severely challenging behaviors. Later, a specialized family home was established as a halfway…

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…

This report, the fourth in a series describing an ongoing investigation of Illinois family literacy programs, documents the work and organization of a group that studied and developed state policy in the area of family literacy. The report includes the following: (1) the position paper that outlines the findings of the family literacy policy group…

An evaluation of Oregon's professional technical education and work force programs was conducted through examination of handbooks for high school and community colleges, secondary education enrollment reports, state employment division documents, Workforce 2000 applications, and interim and final reports on professional technical education and…

This document summarizes the plan of New York's Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) to reform its system of service delivery. It first describes activities begun in 1989 to improve the accessibility of vocational rehabilitation services to people with disabilities. The plan then details…

The experiences of stakeholders in Wisconsin's youth apprenticeship programs are used to provide insights for other policy-makers and educators contemplating or currently implementing youth apprenticeship programs. In-depth interviews, focus group interviews, and surveys with more than 100 students, parents, employers, and instructors were used to…

This final report describes activities and achievements of a project that examined issues in development of coordinated services systems as encouraged by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) amendments of 1997. It identifies and discusses 27 coordinated services policy and implementation considerations within nine areas. Examples…

Louisiana's School-Based Health Center (SBHC) Program, the Adolescent School Health Initiative, has reached its fifth year of full program implementation. This report aims to educate community leaders, service providers, and the general public on the variety of roles SBHCs perform and the contribution they make to the health and well-being of the…

Connecticut has adopted a moderate approach to communications infrastructure modernization, covering a 4-year implementation period from 1993 to 1996. The state's remote educational framework, with regulatory enhancements, will allow the state to be technologically competitive with neighboring states as it allows subscribers to use evolving…

The Louisiana State-Funded Program for High-Risk Four-Year-Olds (SPHF) works to improve the readiness of preschool children eligible to enter kindergarten the following year who are at risk of being insufficiently prepared. This interim report qualitatively and quantitatively evaluates the implementation and effectiveness of the SPHF. Sixty-two…

This resource guide on services available for students with disabilities at Florida's public universities begins with a summary of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a list of recognized disability categories, regulations concerning the provision of auxiliary learning aids, and Florida statutes concerning postsecondary education of…

This New York state plan provides a framework for promoting full opportunities for all individuals with disabilities in both the workplace and the community. It is a legal compact which describes the nature, scope, and conditions of the state's program and ensures that program administration will conform to federal legislation and regulations. The…

This report documents the progress made by the South Carolina State Library in providing volunteer programs and services for illiterate adults, promoting the cooperative development and planning of literacy services throughout the state, and assisting local literacy programs with tutor training, program development, management, and recordkeeping…

This handbook provides guidelines for the evaluation of compensatory and bilingual education programs in New Jersey. Each local education agency (LEA) is required to complete an annual evaluation of previous year program information for basic skills programs funded totally or in part by state and federal resources. Bilingual and…