This handbook describes the methodology of the Investing in People Project, conducted in Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Washington, and West Virginia to help states in assessing their current work force and economic development systems and in building more comprehensive, integrated, and effective strategies for improving the work force. The handbook…

An evaluation addressed whether Project Independence, Florida's Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Program, had reduced welfare costs and increased the employment, earnings, and income of welfare recipients. It examined the experiences of more than 18,000 Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) applicants and recipients from 9 randomly…

This report examines alternatives to state-sponsored child care disregards, which allow working low-income families to offset child care expenses against earned income, thereby receiving higher Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) payments than they might otherwise obtain. It explains the need for continuous, stable child care for…

In Nevada, equity projects funded through the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act and administered by the Nevada Department of Education provide program improvement, occupational preparation, training, resources, and activities designed to address the needs of all students. Although the emphasis has been on females, in particular…

The New Jersey Unemployment Insurance Reemployment Demonstration Project was undertaken to examine the feasibility of using the unemployment insurance (UI) system to identify displaced workers early in their unemployment spells and then accelerating their return to work by providing them with alternative, early intervention services. Three…

This report provides an evaluation of the Postsecondary Enrollment Options program, enacted in Minnesota in 1985 to allow 11th- and 12th-grade students to take postsecondary courses at state expense. It is based on interviews with state education and social services officials, a survey of 401 high school principals and directors of alternative…

This paper addresses the educational, technical, legal, and practical challenges states must confront as they consider the content of the assessment, its technical quality, the capacity of educators and the public to use the results of the assessment, the benefits and additional complications of performance testing, and the overall tension betwen…

The Texas Interagency Council on Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) serves 23,000 children a year and funds 71 comprehensive programs and 12 Milestones programs throughout Texas. Comprehensive programs offer a variety of services to help families who have babies and toddlers with disabilities or delays, providing services in the home or integrated…

The analytical process used in building a compendium of examples of accomplishments by the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) of the Cooperative Extension System is presented and discussed. Lessons learned are cited, and recommendations for future efforts to synthesize evidence on major program thrusts are made. The NWQI is focused on…

This guide describes 35 programs developed by the Wisconsin Leadership Identification Program. The Leadership Identification Program offers mentee participants a structured mentee/mentor relationship, an opportunity to design a formal professional growth plan, a statewide leadership training session, visibility through a statewide newsletter, and…

For the 1992-93 school year, the Indiana Department of Education awarded planning grants to 10 school corporations and special education cooperatives which applied to be Inclusion School Pilot Sites. Funding was provided for activities related to planning and becoming more inclusive. Visits and interviews at the sites led to conclusions about…

The basic formula used by the Chapter 1 Migrant Education Program to allocate funds to state agencies includes an adjustment to help defray the cost of summer services for migrant children, which can be particularly expensive. In recent years, policymakers have questioned whether the current funding formula unfairly rewards states with modest…

The second phase of a two-phase study evaluated (through 24 care studies in California, Missouri, Illinois, and New York) the feasibility of implementing an evaluation model of workplace-based retraining programs developed during the first phase of the project in California. The feasibility study addressed two components of an evaluation system:…

Guidelines to help schools and communities in New York implement or improve a Comprehensive School Health and Wellness (CSHW) program are outlined in this manual. Based on 8 components and 11 interrelated conceptual areas, the 811 Grid offers a framework for assessing current efforts and for planning strategies to improve school/community health.…

In-depth case studies were conducted in six states, concerning interagency service coordination in implementing Part H of Public Law 99-457, which calls for a comprehensive and coordinated system of service delivery to developmentally delayed infants and toddlers and their families. Major findings included: (1) states were unable to answer…