The 1960s civil rights movement spurred affirmative action in medical education, but by the mid-1970s, the trend stalled. In 1991 the Association of American Medical Colleges began a long-range strategy to improve early (K-12) academic training of underrepresented minority group applicants to medical schools. This program has also slowed. Both…

Discusses research on transition out of high school, presenting a five-category model of transition practices to ensure that students with disabilities will attain positive outcomes when they leave high school. The practices are student focused planning, family involvement, interagency and interdisciplinary collaboration, student development, and…

Examines both benefits and problems associated with collaborative projects, based on experiences of the University of Southern Indiana and 15 school corporations in the state to improve public school mathematics and science instruction. While the partnerships had many positive outcomes, the burden of preparing proposals and implementing projects…

This article examines federal, state, and local initiatives that have influenced child welfare policy and practice on a national scale, with particular emphasis on those policies that offer opportunities for better coordination of services between mental health and child welfare agencies. The special circumstances of child welfare clients are…

Discusses five obstacles to the development of a continuum of child welfare services; the effects of these obstacles on minority children; and steps that policymakers and voluntary agencies might take to improve the continuum of care of minority children. (BG)

Describes essential components of systems of care and interagency collaboration. A case illustration describes a setting in which special service providers in schools, particularly special education administrators and school psychologists, played major roles in the conceptualization and implementation of interagency collaboration for a system of…

Identifies health risks and other factors that determine the need for health care services among children and adolescents. Recommendations are made to develop reforms through a coordinated care program rather than through competing systems of services. Models for community-based health care monitoring and coordination exist in other industrialized…

The South Academic Leadership Student Association (SALSA) has involved 20 at-risk students, mostly Hispanic American, from South Division High School in Milwaukee (Wisconsin). Tutoring for and by students, enrichment, and support activities such as counseling are components of the project, which attempts to bring resources into the school setting.…

Uses research on organizations to analyze the impact of coordination on program quality, efficiency, and accountability of programs providing school-linked services for children. Coordination is not a panacea, but it can improve the existing fragmented system by enabling a more holistic response to children's needs. (SLD)

A reexamination of recommended reforms for public college and university governing boards, outlined in an Association of Governing Boards policy paper, suggests that borrowing approaches from private higher education will not necessarily solve the challenges facing private education. Issues discussed include the board's role and functions,…

New England's business, education, and political communities must work together to improve literacy, increase job-specific vocational training, support incumbent worker training, and create more avenues for job access. If labor needs are not met, some companies may leave New England. The New England Council, established in 1925 to keep jobs within…

Documents and evaluates Israel's language policy shift from its traditional Hebrew-enforcement policy to the fostering of an immigrant language as a channel of information and culture in the face of a sudden 10% addition to its population due to one-half million Soviet migrants attached to Russian culture. (33 references) (Author/CK)

The Massachusetts Corporation for Educational Telecommunications (MCET), a quasi-public agency, plays a leadership role in distance education and the integration of telecommunications and education locally and nationally. Operator of the Mass LearnPike satellite network and the Mass Ed OnLine LearnNet computer network, MCET provides expanded…

A study examined a Scottish council's initiative to mainstream secondary pupils with social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. Classroom observations and teacher interviews at 12 schools indicated that not all departments shared the underlying philosophy, and consultation with community agencies was lacking. Some schools showed progress, but…

This article addresses the dynamics of parent-child interactions and their potential influence on the development of social competence among children with Down syndrome (DS). The authors argue that a strong parent-child relationship is fundamental for building the social competence of children with DS and the integration and inclusion of these…