This article describes a program called Blind FOCUS, in which the medical community and rehabilitation services cooperate to provide integrated services to people with diabetes who become visually impaired, in the Kansas City, Missouri, area. (DB)

This article describes an ongoing survey that illustrates how evaluators, working with program managers, have effectively used client-based data to monitor performance in the Social Security Administration. The value of client-based data outweighs the limitations and problems collecting it. Customer perceptions are a critical barometer of quality.…

Describes a management program for Head Start directors called the Head Start-Johnson & Johnson Management Fellows program that focuses on issues and problems encountered by directors in implementing and operating programs at the local level. Notes that the management program represents a response to increasing need for cost-effective and…

Thirty-two students with and without learning disabilities who had participated in both inclusion and pull-out service delivery models were interviewed individually. Overall, more children preferred the pull-out model, but many children were confident that inclusion was meeting their academic and social needs. (Author/DB)

Discusses providing culturally competent services to individuals with visual impairments and seven cultural values: communication, health beliefs and practice, family structure, attitudes toward authority, etiquette, expectations of "helping," and time orientation. Provides suggestions for meeting cross-cultural challenges through skills used in…

Describes a collaborative program undertaken by a Massachusetts district to enhance preschool students' learning readiness when entering kindergarten. The program consisted of three elements: networking local and area programs and services; improving the quality of programs and services; and increasing access to family services. (11 references)…

Presents a multicultural framework for thinking about, assessing, and working with people with deafness from Asian and Asian Deaf backgrounds. Emphasis is placed on cultural awareness and cultural competence for professionals and on building bridges across cultural networks. (Author/CR)

Examines issues in the provision of comprehensive services to students who are both gifted and disabled, especially learning disabled. It urges a closer working relationship among the department of gifted education, the department of special education, and parents, and the development of an individual learning plan for each student. (DB)

This study examined provisions for special education services in state charter school legislation through document reviews, a survey of charter schools, interviews, and site visits to four Colorado charter schools. It found significant variability across states and among the Colorado charter schools in how students with disabilities access the…

This article describes the evolution of Iowa's model of low vision care for students with visual impairments. It reviews the benefits of a transdisciplinary team approach to providing low vision services for children with visual impairments, including a decrease in the number of students requiring large-print materials and related costs. (Contains…

This article offers a way to build accountability by utilizing outcome relevant information along with outcomes to ensure relevance of evaluation results. It describes a process that incorporates use of logic models for comparing child, family, and community context for the program, the service delivery strategies, and expected outcomes. (Contains…

This article describes practical methods for agencies to move from a process to an outcomes focus when preparing and presenting reports to payers and regulators. Essential components of an outcomes system are outlined, and methods for preparing and presenting reports are drawn from experiences at Father Flanagan's Boy's Home. (Contains…

Briefly reviews the history of the adult education movement and responses by higher education to the influx of nontraditional older students, such as open admissions, career-oriented programs, evening and weekend divisions, and distance education delivery options such as Web-based modules. Stresses the importance of assessing and accommodating…

Focuses on the development and delivery of instruction online via the Internet and the World Wide Web and on policy concerns that are emerging as K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions enter this field. Issues are organized into those concerned with valuing online instruction, with creating academically acceptable conditions, with…

Draws together the results of seven studies that investigated factors influencing the effects of service quality in community-based residential services for people with severe mental retardation. Results found that quality of staff and resident activity is dependent on an interaction between the structure, orientation, and procedures followed…