This report discusses the activities and outcomes of a project designed to provide training and technical assistance to families and professionals working with children and youth with severe disabilities in developing and implementing effective educational programs in school and community environments. The project was implemented in collaboration…

This brief report discusses the outcomes of a study that examined statewide behavioral initiatives (SBI) that involve general education, special education, or both. Forty-three state education agencies (SEAs) responded to a survey that investigated the development of SBI, focus of the SBI, and how well the SBI addresses the needs of students with…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that investigated the effects of modifications to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1996 assessment designed to encourage the participation of more students with disabilities. Modifications included revising the inclusion criteria with the intention of making them clearer, more…

Smart Start is a comprehensive public-private initiative to help all North Carolina children enter school healthy and ready to succeed, and provides children from birth to age five access to high-quality and affordable child care, health care, and other critical services. This document comprises the first two issues of "Smart Start…

The Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program is an effort sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that targets large urban school systems with the goal of sustainable implementation of high-quality, standards-based teaching for the purpose of attaining system-wide increases in students' learning of challenging mathematics and science.…

The current approach to dealing with childhood lead poisoning has led to repeated diagnoses of poisoning because such children are treated and then returned to their hazardous environments. This handbook, the third in a three-volume set, provides examples of specific materials currently or recently used in ongoing state and local childhood lead…

In 1998, the demand for educators in Alaska reached an all-time high. The shortage was most critical for music, math, and special education teachers, as well as for counselors. Filling positions in rural areas is especially difficult. An early retirement incentive program has caused a drain on Alaska's pool of teachers. Factors that inhibit…

This booklet discusses the provision of assistive technology through state vocational rehabilitation programs to help individuals with disabilities in employment settings. It reviews vocational rehabilitation eligibility criteria, specific goods and services that can be provided, issues to keep in mind when using this system to obtain assistive…

This report examines current policies and practices in regard to Oregon high school student participation in college courses and programs. A total of 112 of Oregon's public and private high schools responded to a January 1998 mailed survey concerning early college options programs and policies. It was found that an estimated 6,660 students were…

This guide highlights issues involved in increasing participation in welfare-to-work programs and offers advice and best practices for achieving higher participation levels. Part 1, "Introduction," has three sections that discuss the importance of participation, summarize major points, and introduce the guide. The seven sections of Part…

This document is a comprehensive plan for higher education in Missouri for fiscal years 2000-2001. The Strategic Plan identifies three strategic issues: Quality, Access, and Efficiency. Twenty-four goals are identified, each accompanied by relevant statistics, facts and figures. Goals for quality include: (1) implementation of the Coordinating…

This document was created to establish competency goals and objectives for teaching and learning science in North Carolina for grades K-12. It contains the concepts and theories, strands, skills, and processes upon which all science instruction should be based. In addition, the curriculum defines and illustrates the connections between the…

The Alaska Benchmarks Examinations measure student achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics at grades 3, 6, and 8. This booklet answers some of the most frequently asked questions about these examinations and presents some sample questions. The Benchmark Examinations are part of a statewide school reform effort known as the Quality Schools…

The extent to which the instruction, assessment, and Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) test preparation activities of language arts teachers aligned with the Maryland Learning Outcomes (MLOs) and the reading and writing tasks on the MSPAP was studied in the 1996-97 school year. The reading and writing activities of 280…

In an effort to discover how Maine schools are operating their Reading Recovery (RR) programs, Maine Reading Recovery teachers provided information related to school-level implementation. Although completion of the Maine data forms was optional, three-fourths of the 346 Maine RR teachers completed the forms. Two types of implementation data were…