Effective state policy for new teacher mentoring stipulates program elements that increase the likelihood that district programming will be implemented and, thus, defines for districts what is important about mentoring support. Although most state policies do not differentiate programs for novice special education teachers, there are particular…

In the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District has achieved a startling success over the last two years: it has recovered and graduated over 600 dropouts and put them on a clear pathway to college. Just a few years ago, low graduation rates, struggling high schools, and poor staff and student morale…

By now people are all too familiar with the disheartening numbers: approximately 7,000 students drop out each day, which means nearly one-third of high school students will not graduate with their peers. The statistics are even more staggering for minority and low-income students, especially in the nation's largest urban districts, where less than…

In this article, the authors describe a case in which school district officials used state regulations for new teacher mentoring programs as justification to cut funding and incrementally dismantle a model program. (Contains 1 table.)

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a school-wide, integrative approach to instruction and intervention that provides a continuum of services to all students, both within general and special education. Further, RTI focuses on the frequent monitoring of student progress using formative and summative assessments, and providing students with…

To address key policy and programmatic questions and help improve student and system performance, states must work to link data across the early childhood, postsecondary and workforce (P-20/workforce) spectrum and share this information with appropriate stakeholders. This issue brief highlights current efforts in California, Florida, Indiana, and…

The Los Rios Community College District has proposed to convert its Davis outreach operations to a single, state-approved educational center. The proposal responds to the district's need to expand educational services in the Davis area. The area is marked by high student demand and limited instructional facilities. In the 2006-07 academic year,…

Children with disabilities enter school with unique educational needs. Federal and State laws provide special assurances that guarantee these unique needs are met and an appropriate education is provided. Among these assurances are rights making it possible for parents to act as advocates for their children and to work as partners with the school…

There are times when interest runs high and many people are drawn to learning about the origin of their profession. The twentieth anniversary of the Save the Children Family Child Care Conference was such an occasion. This report is the result of a collaborative partnership between the Children's Foundation of Washington, D.C. and Save the…

Noting the increased interest of states in exploring how they can provide supports to informal child-care providers to improve the quality of care and education that children receive, this report discusses quality initiatives, licensing issues, training, and monitoring of various forms of non-licensed family child care. The types of care…

This document focuses on state requirements for the various professional roles for Part C services and collaborative efforts to ensure high quality personnel are available to provide Part C services. States have established requirements to ensure a high quality workforce for children and families receiving Part C services. These requirements vary…

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…

This research report argues for viewing the complex, often messy process of school reform implementation as a "conditional matrix" coupled with qualitative research. As illustration, two studies (of six reform efforts in one county and of implementation of an untracking program in Kentucky) are reported. Preliminary analysis reveals that…

This document comprises the 12 issues for 2001 of the "Child Support Report," which explores problems related to child support enforcement, reports on federal and state government child support enforcement initiatives, and summarizes research related to child support. Featured regularly are editorials and information on events of…

This booklet outlines the steps that postsecondary institutions must take to maintain their eligibility for federal student financial aid, discussing state and federal review requirements and the role of the State Postsecondary Review Entity (SPRE) Program. It reviews the compliance requirements for institutions utilizing Title IV federal…