Describes an "Aggressive Adoption" program designed to combat the problem of foster care "drift" by expanding the availability of adoption resources for children in the care of a small, public child welfare agency. (RH)

Reports on a multisource identification and an in-depth analysis of exemplary state agency rehabilitation counselors so as to describe the characteristics associated with being exemplary. Results indicate no differences between the two types of rehabilitation counselors -- therapeutic and case manager -- on-job satisfaction or on-task demands.…

Studied the implementation of school-based management in 30 of the poorest school districts in New Jersey (the Abbott districts). Findings show that genuine autonomy has been usurped by increased state power and authority, and that state elites allow little opportunity for capacity building at the district level. The level of democratization has…

Interviews with representatives of 18 states offering registered preapprenticeship identified the following: policies of awarding credit for work, paying wages, and transferring hours to full apprenticeship; organizational arrangements; appropriateness; formal standards; indenture procedures; external funding/resources; and problems and…

Describes the procedures by which Kentucky's state assessment program synthesized results from three standard setting procedures (Contrasting Groups, Bookmark, and Jaeger-Mills) for the 2000 state assessment. Shows the value of using multiple standard-setting approaches to gather information from each. (SLD)

Describes the concept of "adequate yearly progress" as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act and discusses some of the psychometric issues it raises. Examines scaling as a means to equate tests when assessing educational gains and recommends vertically moderated standards over vertical equating of state assessments. (SLD)

Addresses the professional development needs of adult basic education instructors. Describes federal and state resources for professional development. Recommends field-based research, reflective practice, and learner-centered instruction. (Contains 15 references.) (SK)

Gives an overview of service learning at local, state, and federal levels. Describes national support networks and the work of the National Commission on Service Learning.(SK)

Used administrative (for 20,237 adults) and survey data (from about 200 leavers per month) from Georgia to examine risk factors for recidivism among welfare leavers and the relationship between recidivism and leavers' ability to find sustained employment. Results show a threshold of earnings that welfare leavers need to survive at the poverty…

How state educational authorities in Kentucky use statewide test data to rank the state's 178 school districts was studied, using data from the "Kentucky Essential Skills Test: Statewide Testing Results" (1987). The methods used, means of refining those methods, the fairness/accuracy/validity of resulting interpretations, and problems…

A survey by Illinois Plan for Home Economics Education of 51 state supervisors of vocational home economics found that 40 have recently revised the secondary home economics curriculum; only 10 had research underway in support of home economics; most favored family and/or family-work issues in the curriculum; and 40 considered their home economics…

Describes a cooperative program between individual state governments and the Australian government whereby unemployed people who want to start a small business are given a comprehensive package consisting of loan capital, one year's living allowance, training, and business advice. (JOW)

Updates an earlier study by reanalyzing interstate variations in Scholastic Aptitude Test and American College Test scores. Reaffirms the conclusion that state rankings based on such scores change dramatically when adjusted for number of test takers or class rank of test-taking population. Finds that public expenditures are positively related to…

North Carolina attempted to reform its welfare system to remove disincentives to work and encourage intact families and savings. Issues raised were funding incentives dramatically increase short-term program spending; amount and kinds of jobs available for welfare recipients are uncertain; and limits on long-term support beg the question of what…