Provides an overview of federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) legislation and describes features of state TANF programs that are relevant for appreciating the need for evaluation and interpreting evaluations. Also describes some features of the "culture" of local welfare offices. (Author/SLD)

Describes rationale and attributes of local assessment program to augment statewide testing programs. Describes several steps to develop and implement a local assessment program, including setting priorities and goals, meeting with state officials, developing budgets and funding sources, forming development teams, providing professional…

Studied teacher attitudes toward high-stakes and mandated testing in two New York elementary schools. Findings show high-stakes tests forced teachers to act in ways they did not think were professional and required instructional environments teachers did not think were conducive to student success. (SLD)

In this article, the author presents the strategies used by Delaware to improve its schools' academic performance. In 1992, the First State was among the first states to adopt teaching standards in key academic subjects, craft tests aligned closely with those standards, and create sticks and carrots to ensure that schools use them. By the end of…

In this article, the authors discuss program evaluation of intervention studies when the outcome of interest is collected routinely at equally spaced intervals of time. They illustrate concepts using data from the American Stop Smoking Intervention Study, where the outcome is state per capita tobacco consumption. States differ widely in mean…

From 1981 to 1986 South Carolina implemented a federally mandated desegregation plan designed to: (1) enhance the State's public historically black colleges; (2) desegregate student enrollment at the State's baccalaureate degree granting public colleges and universities; and (3) desegregate faculties, staffs, and governing bodies of all public…

In the past decade, there has been a sharp increase in awareness of how interventions that address multiple risk factors and target both children and their families can help ensure that children grow up healthy and able to learn. In 1995, the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) undertook a project to "map" state initiatives…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a 3-year federally supported project to improve special education and related services for children with deaf-blindness in West Virginia. The project served 94 children with deaf-blindness, their families, and service providers throughout the state. Activities and achievements are…

This document explores selected issues related to connecting welfare reform initiatives and the literacy movement and provides basic information about literacy education and its economic impact. Literacy is defined, and similarities and differences between adult basic education, adult secondary education, and English-as-a-Second-Language programs…

A biennial evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of New Jersey's vocational education delivery systems in meeting Perkins Act purposes and their coordination with the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) resulted in 19 recommendations. Respondents to a survey of country vocational districts, JTPA service delivery areas, and community…

Intended for people interested in developing a skill clinic, this document contains examples of community and workplace approaches to skill clinics. It describes skill clinics that make it easier for adults to pursue further education and training by offering one-stop service, coordination, assessment, referral, and career counseling. Nine…

This vocational safety guide is designed to help Missouri school practitioners at all levels in providing for the safe instruction and work associated with practical arts and vocational and technical subjects. Covered in the individual sections of the guide are the following topics: Missouri legislation and regulations pertaining to school safety;…

Florida state legislation has mandated the evaluation of its compensatory education programs. The Florida Accountability Act of 1976 called for minimum basic skills testing in grades 3, 5, 8, and 11 (subsequently amended to grade 10). In 1977, the Florida Compensatory Education Act mandated remedial programs for students performing below the…

Four hearings were held during 1979 by the National Advisory Council on Vocational Education (NACVE) to determine the status of vocational education in correctional institutions. Testimony from 106 witnesses from 27 states led to the overall conclusion that the current level and quality of correctional vocational education is not adequate to…

PREPARED FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, CONSULTANTS, TEACHERS, SPEECH AND HEARING THERAPISTS, AND OTHER CONCERNED WITH EDUCATING COMMUNICATION HANDICAPPED CHILDREN IN CALIFORNIA, THE BOOKLET OFFERS HELP IN PLANNING SPEECH AND HEARING PROGRAMS. DISCUSSION OF THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNICATION HANDICAPPED CHILD COVERS A DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS…