The Specialized Health Needs Interagency Collaboration is a statewide technical assistance project to assist school and related-services personnel in Maryland to manage the specialized health needs of students with developmental disabilities and handicapping conditions within the educational setting. The project's purpose, scope, staffing,…

A survey of 10 states indicated the presence of hiring procedures that discourage or limit public-sector supported employment for persons having severe disabilities. Survey results, and recommendations for state system change to promote supported employment, are presented in 4 areas: civil service examination requirements, job classification…

Current practices of most state vocational rehabilitation programs concerning the use and reporting of benefit-cost results are reviewed, and problematic issues are identified. Empirical data from Minnesota illustrate alternative ways of reporting evaluation results relating to efficiency. The recommended accounting framework provides relevant and…

Reviews the basic precepts of environmental education (EE) summarizing state-level efforts directed at its establishment. Discusses an EE plan with a 3-year scope and sequence for middle school students along with other suggestions for systematically incorporating EE into K-12 curriculum. Examines curricular frameworks, program characteristics,…

Outcome data are provided for a national evaluation of Learn and Serve America School and Community-Based Programs and the Florida Learn and Serve program for 1995-96. Both national and Florida state data show positive effects, including improved attendance, improved academic achievement, and better attitudes for Learn and Serve participants. (SLD)

A study investigated the circumstances and views of 16 individuals 8 years after participation in one agency's conversion from a sheltered workshop to an exclusively community employment service. Most participants associated the agency's changeover with long-term, personal benefits, including community employment opportunities, increased income,…

The value of identifying permanent hearing loss during the first few months of life and providing effective treatment to ameliorate or even eliminate the negative consequences has been recognized for many decades. Unfortunately, improvements in achieving this goal were very gradual until the early 1990s. At that time, the combination of…

This brief provides a summary and analysis of a survey taken in the fall of 2005. The survey was conducted with a distribution of questionnaires to all of the district superintendents in the state of Arizona. Responses were received from 116 individuals out of a population of 227. These superintendents represented all three types of school…

In 2002, Tennessee passed its first Public Charter School legislation. Four schools were successful in gaining approval to begin operating in the 2003-2004 academic year. The second cohort of three charter schools began operation during the 2004-2005 academic year, with the third cohort of five schools starting-up during the 2005-2006 academic…

This report includes the meeting highlights from a policy seminar which looked at successful models of state action taken by Illinois, Maryland, and North Carolina to reduce the incidence of adolescent pregnancy. Shirley Randolph, Associate Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, described the Illinois initiative called Parents Too…

This article describes programs organized by the Kentucky State Parks system that are designed to provide visitors with a learning experience within one of the natural settings of the state. (PD)

The concept of governance is discussed in relation to local, state, and federal responsibilities for the education of exceptional children. (LS)

Partnership activities and programs relating to substance abuse are compiled in this document. Emphasis is placed on activities in Florida, although there are some national organizations and programs highlighted in the report. The report is intended to provide the reader with an awareness of the different ways partnerships are being used in…

The Comprehensive Plan for the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) in New York State contains both long-range goals and short-term actions for the next 20 years with a series of specific actions proposed for the current 3-year (1985-87) period. The first chapter provides program background with sections on OVR'S mission, recent trends in…

A study of the legal and regulatory barriers to the expansion of family day care in New York State was made. Research for the study consisted of a two-part survey of members of the New York State Child Care Coordinating Council and the New York City Family Day Care Task Force; interviews with public officials, child care advocates, and child care…