In 1996, California provided funding to 14 county probation agencies to implement multiagency, comprehensive services to keep troubled youths from recommitting crime and progressing farther into the justice system. We report results of a randomized experiment used to evaluate Ventura County's 4-year demonstration project called the South Oxnard…

The accountability required by school-reform measures such as No Child Left Behind has placed increased emphasis on data analysis for appraising schools, administrators, teachers, and students. The focus of accountability-driven initiatives is developing policies and procedures that collectively influence the district, the school, and most…

Well-designed, active group games are more than just fun. They can help young children develop essential life skills that impact their development and contribute to school readiness. This article discusses how playing developmentally appropriate games allows children to build listening skills as well as social and cooperative skills, gain enough…

Technology that helps students view images in three dimensions (3-D) can support a broad range of learning styles. "Geo-Wall systems" are visualization tools that allow scientists, teachers, and students to project stereographic images and view them in 3-D. We developed and presented 3-D visualization exercises in several undergraduate courses.…

This report presents the first post-intervention impacts of the Quantum Opportunity Program (QOP) demonstration. From July 1995 through September 2001, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Ford Foundation (Ford) operated a demonstration of QOP designed to help at-risk high-school-age youth graduate from high school and enroll in…

The NEPAD e-Schools Initiative is a multi-country, multi-stakeholder, continental project to teach ICT skills to young Africans in primary and secondary schools and improve the provision of education in schools through the use of ICT applications and the Internet. The first phase of the Initiative is a "Demonstration Project"…

The full-purpose partnership (FPP) schoolwide model primarily focuses on prevention and early intervention. This model brings the tenets of service coordination directly into the school and focuses efforts to involve families from a strengths perspective before behavioral issues become significant. A preliminary evaluation has shown that this…

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of national activities to improve the education of children with disabilities funded in fiscal year (FY) 2005 under the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" ("IDEA"), Part D, Subparts 2 and 3 (P.L. 108-446). "IDEA", Part D (National Activities) includes…

Flexibility and accountability are two levers for change that occupy an increasingly prominent place among federal strategies for educational improvement. In return for introducing higher academic standards and performance-based accountability systems, states and districts have been granted increasing flexibility over how they may use the funding…

The Quantum Opportunities Project (QOP) was a multisite youth development demonstration project funded by the Ford Foundation in San Antonio (Texas), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Milwaukee (Wisconsin), Saginaw (Michigan), and Oklahoma City (Oklahoma). The programs, organized around educational activities, guaranteed up to 250 hours of education,…

This manual provides rehabilitation service provider organizations with necessary information and instructions for completing an Information Request Form (IRF), the first step in the process of applying for recognition by the Regional Rehabilitation Exchange (RRX) Project as an exemplary program model in the area of supported employment. The RRX…

A special demonstration project investigated the use of portfolio assessment in several adult basic education settings, including workplace education programs and science courses for adult high school equivalency students. Built upon a 1993-94 project that pilot tested a portfolio assessment process, the current project was based on two…

This paper explores how youth programs, particularly programs that try to prepare young people for the world of work and higher education, are organized and implemented in the field. It is argued that, in many cases, the needs of program practitioners are overlooked by the research community. The focus is on the field of "second-chance"…

SchoolNet is a state-funded partnership that will facilitate the installation of computer and communications networking technology in public schools and classrooms across Ohio and coordinate its use. SchoolNet seeks to provide Ohio students with expanded course offerings; more individualized educational opportunities; interactive learning…

This publication offers excerpts from the National Courses of Study revised by the Ministry of Education in Japan. The first section discusses curriculum for kindergarten. It states that lessons must be presented at least 39 weeks a year and the standard number of class periods per day should occupy four hours. Content is classified into four…