Properly conceived and implemented new initiatives are essential to improving schools and communities. Such new initiatives usually are pursued as projects, pilots, or demonstrations, with temporary funding and staffing. When the funding ends, more often than not much of what has been developed disappears. Sometimes this is appropriate (e.g., when…

Information on the implementation of services for preschool children with special needs and their families is presented, based on current or previous surveys of 50 states, the District of Columbia, and eight outlying jurisdictions. The information is presented in tabular form and is organized into nine sections related to the Individuals with…

Active between 1993 and 1996, the Promoting Academic Student Success (PASS) Program was aimed at reducing the high percentage of failure experienced by academic probation students at Corning Community College (New York). These students typically came from non supportive environments, possessed academic deficiencies, and suffered from feelings of…

As year 4 of a 7-year initiative to implement the School-to-Work (STW) Opportunities Act begins, 37 states have received implementation grants and 105 direct federally-funded and over 900 state-funded local partnerships exist. In 1997, technical assistance is available to any of the remaining 13 states ready for full-scale implementation. Notable…

This congressional report presents and examines the Carl D. Perkins Vocational-Technical Education Act Amendments of 1997. The following items are included: text of the amendments; summary of three hearings held in preparation for amending the Perkins Act; statement of views of the Committee on Education and the Workforce regarding needed changes…

This case study reports on the experiences of teachers and student teachers during the process of developing and implementing professional development sites (PDSs) at one urban and two rural middle schools. The study examines the phases of development that teachers go through in the process of developing PDSs and how teachers' level of development…

The Preschool Version of the High/Scope Program Quality Assessment (PQA) is a ratings instrument for evaluating the quality of early childhood programs and identifying staff training needs. The assessment was developed for use in all center-based preschool and child care settings, not just those using the High/Scope educational approach. This…

This document contains 22 brief summaries of the progress made by Pennsylvania Adult Education Section 353 Special Demonstration projects in meeting their goals and objectives. For each project, the following information is included: project director and number; purpose; impact; outcomes; conclusions and recommendations; project continuation and…

The Social Network Study was conducted in 1996 as part of a larger research project that looked at the experience of men and women with different racial, ethnic, educational backgrounds, and career paths in the Philadelphia labor market. Data were gathered through a survey focused on the relationship between work experience, training, and the…

This report describes a low-cost, adaptable methodology for assessment of basic learning competencies (BLCs) in diverse cultural contexts. Following the introduction, section 2 provides a policy framework and covers priority populations; policy and assessment needs; challenges for policy-driven assessments; and questions policymakers might have.…

This guidebook summarizes learning on the role of intermediaries and how to build organizations that perform intermediary functions effectively and efficiently. An introduction defines intermediaries, in the context of youth-serving systems, as staffed organizations that connect schools and other youth-preparation organizations with workplaces and…

This volume features the reform journeys of six American high schools. The six high schools portrayed here include four large comprehensive high schools (Oakland Technical High in Oakland, California, and Brighton High in Boston, Massachusetts, are urban; Sir Francis Drake in Marin County, California, and Rex Putnam in North Clackamas, Oregon, are…

The public sector in Finland faces tasks and challenges in promoting science, technology, and innovations in conditions of global change. Sustainable economic, social, and cultural development will continue to demand comprehensive development of the innovation system based on solid cooperation between the public and private sectors in the country.…

This book compiles information to investigate the presence and structure of multicultural education programs throughout the United States. The book begins by discussing the need for multicultural education programs, and the goal of which is to provide more accurate descriptions of America's microcultural populations and to guarantee a better…

This report discusses the place of preservice and inservice teacher education in the needs of gifted children, outlines the role of the gifted education specialist, and discusses the competencies that gifted education specialists should have. It begins by providing a joint statement of core beliefs and goals related to giftedness and the…