Nearly every state has adopted or is in the process of adopting content and performance standards for education. This guide summarizes some of the lessons learned in developing standards. It also provides tips and strategies from early leaders in standards development to help educators and policymakers who are working on new forms of assessment.…

This report describes individual state projects under the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act (Tech Act) that are improving access, provision, and funding of assistive technology (AT) for individuals with disabilities. The beginning of the report describes regional projects that are providing statewide information…

In order to achieve the expectations for children's learning stipulated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, greater attention needs to be given to child care policy and funding. This report details a study examining strategies in seven states that have integrated early education program standards in child care, by directly tying standards to…

The purpose of this study was to determine patterns of gender and ethnic differences in science and mathematics achievement of fifth graders, taking into account student ability, item response format, and strands of learning outcomes. Subjects were 2,551 fifth graders from a large urban area in Ohio. The Ohio Off-Grade Proficiency Test was used.…

To understand more fully what factors lead to successful collaboration at the local level, case studies of five Common Good local linkage teams were conducted. Since 1990, 47 teams have been formed under the auspices of Common Good, a statewide project to facilitate development of local interagency linkage teams throughout Ohio. Local teams…

Beginning in Spring 1998, Virginia students participated in the Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments designed to test student knowledge of the content and skills specified in the state's standards. This document contains questions that students were required to answer as part of the SOL End-of-Course assessments. These questions are…

In April 2002, Jeffrey Fouts (2002) presented a longitudinal study of student performance in Washington using Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) results from 1998 to 2001. Although constrained by the lack of individual student identification numbers at that time, he concluded that success on the WASL in the 4th grade was a strong…

Federal and state educational indicator systems should include assessments of school context as well as of student outcomes. A review of the literature suggests that access to knowledge, pressure for achievement, and professional teaching conditions are the best general constructs to provide bases for school context indicators. (TJH)

Explains the development of an electronic information network in Maryland called Seymour that offers bibliographic records; full-text databases; community information databases; the ability to request information and materials; local, state, and federal information; and access to the Internet. Policy issues are addressed, including user fees and…

Explores elements of the design of school choice programs, defining outcomes and technical criteria. These criteria are applied to failed choice initiatives in three states and to a proposed initiative in California, the Parents' Choice in Education Amendment. Differential effects in urban and suburban schools are considered. (SLD)

This document presents profiles of 21 exemplary New Jersey elementary and secondary school teacher-developed programs and their outcomes. Thirty-nine teachers received two-year grants that allowed them to evaluate their practices and to prepare materials for dissemination. The programs are in the following subject areas: art; career education;…

This document accompanies a narrative volume that reports a study of Pennsylvania's vocational education system. It contains the instrumentation, participant lists, and all other supporting documentation. Chapter 1 is a data analysis of the open-ended interviews and second Delphi questionnaire that were used to determine the strengths and…

This review identifies and summarizes state and national research and literature dealing with the transition of secondary students from school to work. It is a digest of the printed information available through books, state reports, and national reports; ERIC searches in business, social studies, and education; and surveys and research from the…

Venture capital provided under the School to Work Opportunities Act 1994 (STWOA) has promoted significant state and local innovation. STWOA's 7-year lifespan assumed that states made a commitment to building sustainable systems when they applied for funds. As STWOA approaches the end of its lifespan, many states are examining and assessing their…

Structured work and training activities for welfare recipients in West Virginia began in 1962 when the state's entire caseload of two-parent families receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children was enrolled in mandatory work and training activities. In 1980s-1990s, the Community Work Experience Program became an important tool in…