This guide presents some of the best thinking about the difficult and puzzling work of improving student achievement. Taken as whole, it gives a complete picture of what it will take to close the achievement gap. It contains background, findings, and key policy recommendations from a 22-month study conducted by the Washington State School…

The Secretary issues final regulations governing the Assistance to States for Education of Children with Disabilities Program and the Preschool Grants for Children with Disabilities Program. These regulations are needed to implement changes made to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as amended by the Individuals with Disabilities…

This report provides an in-depth review of school reform research that presents evidence of college preparation for all students. It examines the predictors of college-going behavior and how they have been addressed within the high school reform movement. The report then draws out the promising practices from existing reform initiatives and makes…

This document presents key educational statistics for Alaska's elementary school through college students. The report presents state-level data on Alaska's K-college education, including demographic distribution across each educational level, participation and success in Advanced Placement, percentage of students taking high-level courses, school…

This report compares Arizona's reading and mathematics performance on the most recent administrations of the state assessment with performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). To indicate how Arizona is doing in narrowing the academic achievement gap between African American, Latino, or low-income students and their…

Ways of improving the quality of precourse information, advice, and guidance available to students entering further education and sixth form colleges in the United Kingdom were explored. Data were collected from the following sources: (1) the 3-year Raising Quality and Achievement Programme; (2) seminars on sharing good practice in delivering…

Evidence from the past 4 years confirms that private sector jobs are the best and first resort for welfare recipients seeking to enter the workforce and that the private sector can well absorb the entry of these new workers. The model of wage-based transitional employment may be a more effective means of helping hard-to-employ welfare recipients…

Drawing on recent psychological and neurological research on how individual differences might interact with learning a particular language, the study examines how psycholinguistic research and theory can help in assigning military personnel to language training and to a given language. Using the Defense Language Institute's Defense Language…

Employers are experiencing difficulties filling vacancies for information technology (IT) positions because of rapid growth in the demand for IT workers, high turnover, and the unique characteristics of IT work. In response to the growing demand for IT workers, public and private education and training providers are expanding their offerings and…

Wyoming's seven comprehensive community colleges document their performance in meeting the needs of their stakeholders against fourteen core indicators: (1) Student Goal Attainment; (2) Persistence; (3) Degree Completion Rates; (4) Placement Rate in the Workforce; (5) Employer Assessment of Students; (6) Licensure/Certification Pass Rates; (7)…

This document explains provisions of the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Public Law 105-17, and is divided into 16 topics, most of which address specific sections of the law. For each topic, the following is provided: overview information, additional information presented in a question and answer format,…

This document examines screening and assessment for physical and mental health conditions that impact Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients' ability to work. The document begins by defining screening and assessment and discussing their relevance for agencies serving TANF recipients. The next section answers policy questions…

This book describes how supplementary aids and services are defined by best practice, interpreted by individual states, and viewed by the courts to enable children with disabilities to be educated with typical children to the maximum extent appropriate. The first three chapters of the book deal with the need to provide a free appropriate public…

This document is the report of one phase of a Minnesota study to examine the problem of misrepresentation and overrepresentation of African American, American Indian, and Latino students in special education. Phase 2 of the study involved seven focus groups comprised of minority parents throughout rural and urban areas of Minnesota. Focus groups…

This manual is a set of guidelines to assist Idaho school districts in carrying out the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997, and its implementing regulations which became final on March 12, 1999. The manual also incorporates changes in Administrative Rules of the Idaho State Board of Education,…