The results of an evaluation of Vermont's statewide assessment initiative are presented, with information about the implementation of the program, its effects on educational practice, the analytic challenge presented by the portfolio scoring process, the reliability and validity of portfolio scores, and the tensions between assessment and…

The school improvement process of the Springfield (Massachusetts) Public School System is offered as a model for school reform. The efforts in Springfield began from the premise that institutions do not reform themselves, and that pressure from the outside, enough to be noticed, but not enough to disrupt, was necessary to spur reform. The work in…

Youth apprenticeship programs differ from the registered apprenticeship that is regulated by federal and state governments. Defined as a "learning program for young people, age 16 and older, that integrates on-the-job training with school-based instruction, that bridges high school and postsecondary schooling, and that results in both academic…

This monograph describes briefly five exemplary programs chosen in 1991 by the Technical Assistance for Special Populations Program of the National Center for Research in Vocational Education. The first section of the monograph contains background information on the search for exemplary programs, including a discussion of how the framework for…

This paper traces the development of graded and non-graded classrooms in the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries and describes the implementation of multiage classrooms at an elementary school in Hopedale, Massachusetts. After defining what is meant by multiage classrooms, the paper discusses the role of Horace Mann, who was then a…

Tree Amigos is a special cross-cultural program that uses trees as a common bond to bring the people of the Americas together in unique partnerships to preserve and protect the shared global environment. It is a tangible program that embodies the philosophy that individuals, acting together, can make a difference. This resource book contains…

A cooperative program was conducted by the Connections Program of Catholic Charities of Richmond, Virginia, the Chesterfield and Henrico County Schools and the Richmond City Schools to provide bilingual education for high-school-age refugees. In Chesterfield and Henrico Counties, Connections provided the project director, bilingual assistance,…

This technical assistance guide suggests strategies for achieving success in all aspects of follow-up of literacy/employment training program participants. A brief section is devoted to the importance of setting standards for follow-up. The manual then discusses implementation strategies for each of the three aspects of follow-up: tracking for…

In response to recent criticism of education in the United States and the need to provide society a more efficiently trained work force, the state of Georgia has recently instituted guaranteed postsecondary vocational-technical training. This program assures employers that when hiring a trained graduate from one of the 32 technical institutions in…

A distance learning program implemented in 1987-88 to teach Health Care Science was modified to include the clinical experience appropriate for Health Occupations I during 1988-89. The teaching team included an instructional coordinator/teacher and four regional clinical coordinators. A total of 19 juniors and seniors at 7 rural school districts…

This report of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources favorably recommends that Senate Bill 1106, Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, be passed by the Senate. Noted are the legislation's purposes: to help States facing fiscal crises stay in the Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities program (Part H); to reward those…

This booklet, based on the Transition Through the Arts project developed by Very Special Arts, describes the successes that project instructors have achieved in using the arts to assist individuals with developmental disabilities reach employment. The project uses the arts as a vehicle to teach and reinforce the social and personal skill…

The Educational Reform Act (ERA) of 1988 reflects the most comprehensive restructuring of education in Britain in this century. This paper discusses the implementation of the National curriculum, the innovation at the heart of the ERA. The first part of the paper offers the views of educational commentators on changes resulting from this law.…

A model project at Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa, Iowa, provided a degree-bearing second-year course of vocational study to a nontraditional audience seeking high-technology training. The flexible, competency-based program offered three paths of study: a course in personal computing resulting in a diploma or an associate degree, an…

A computer-literacy staff training program was designed to provide adult basic education (ABE) instructors and staff with basic computer skills. A curriculum using both Apple IIe computers and IBM personal computers was developed and software obtained. Eight instructors and nine administrative staff members of local literacy programs completed 10…