This report presents an overview of the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) Operational Program Reviews (OPRS) conducted at 18 California Community Colleges in the academic year 2001-2002. It sets findings about programs' strengths and weaknesses in the context of the eight EOPS program components: management and coordination,…

In the continuing search for skilled workers, employers are increasingly looking to community colleges as the primary training providers for welfare recipients, unemployed workers, and those seeking to increase skills and improve careers. Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) (North Carolina) provides individuals with the skills and education…

A study assessed Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) implementation and effects in Cuyahoga County between 1992-2000. It used field research, surveys and interviews of current and former welfare recipients, state and county welfare and employment records, and indicators of social and economic trends. Findings indicated Cuyahoga County…

A study examined barriers to employment for rural Michigan residents, especially during an economic boom. Four focus groups conducted in four nonmetropolitan growth counties in Michigan indicated that educated, skilled workers were seeking to enter the labor force or to work more hours, even though community leaders, newspapers, and job developers…

This issue focuses on a variety of performance measurement and outcome data resources as they relate to evaluating service delivery performance in areas that include employment (welfare-to-work and performance bonuses for work participation) and child welfare, as well as some general Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program areas. It also…

A model is proposed to project optimal school psychology service ratios based upon the percentages of at risk students enrolled within a given school population. Using the standard 1:1,000 service ratio advocated by The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) as a starting point, ratios are then adjusted based upon the size of three…

Coordination between Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)-related programs and Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA)'s one-stop centers increased since spring 2000, when WIA was first implemented. Nearly all states reported some coordination between the programs at either the state or the local level. Most often, coordination took one…

This theme issue includes six articles about nurturing parent and community involvement in schools, particularly schools serving Hispanic, immigrant, or economically disadvantaged students. "Thinking about Learning: The Community and Academic Standards" (Oanh H. Maroney, Aurelio M. Montemayor) describes a Corpus Christi (Texas) project…

This study used current data from a cohort of eighth graders in the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 to test whether dropping out of high school and other measures of educational performance and involvement influenced the likelihood of having a school-age birth for whites, blacks, and Hispanics. Three major sets of independent…

Great Britain's New Deal is designed to provide unemployed individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 years with an array of counseling and guidance services called the Gateway. It will include access to independent career advice and a specialist assigned to help them overcome their particular barriers to employment. Key elements of the Gateway are…

The Tellin' Stories Project in Washington, DC, was developed to increase the involvement of economically disadvantaged, often limited English-speaking parents in the educational process of their children. The project connected parents, educators, schools, and communities. The third-year evaluation process consisted of these activities: a focus…

This issue of WIN (Welfare Information Network) Issue Notes focuses on the tendency of children from low-income families to drop out of high school, become teen parents, become involved in drug-related activities, and become involved in other activities that place them at high risk of long-term welfare dependency. Section 1 offers the background.…

A study assessed whether the Department of Labor's (DOL's) information on states' Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) spending was a true reflection of states' available funds. The most recent available spending data from DOL and the 50 states were analyzed. Interviews were conducted with state workforce officials in nine states, local…

This is a background paper prepared for the conference "Community Colleges and Low Income Populations: Lessons from Research... Priorities for Policy." The paper sets out the framework that informs the conference. The author seeks to answer the question: What strategies, practices, and policies are needed if community colleges are to help people…

This book examines the efforts of Valley Interfaith--a community-based organization in the south Texas borderlands--to improve the living conditions of low-income residents and immigrants and the public schools their children attend. Valley Interfaith is unusual in that it crosses the boundary separating the worlds of community organizing and…