Addressing the need to expand nontraditional opportunities for students in vocational education, this document contains three separate training packages intended for use in inservice and preservice training of vocational teachers, counselors, and administrators. The focus of each package is reflected in each of the following titles: "Approaches to…

This is a final progress report on a two-year project that developed a basic and clerical skills training system for women from AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) households that included the establishment of a company employing former trainees. The following were important components: comprehensive education; a day-care facility;…

As part of a national Middle Start initiative led by the Academy for Educational Development (AED), Mid South Middle Start is committed to working with high-poverty schools in the Mid South Delta region to build their capacity to foster students' academic excellence, support the development of young adolescents, and achieve social equity in…

California's Employment Training Panel Program (ETP), the largest state-funded customized training program for incumbent workers in the nation, has had a positive impact on the economy of California, and its success has policy implications for other state programs. The impact of ETP on trainees includes the following: they are more attached to the…

In 1989, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that Kentucky's education system was unconstitutional and invalidated the entire body of school law. In response, the General Assembly passed the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA), a completely new educational system. This report upon the 10th anniversary of KERA's passage documents how key…

More than at any time in our nation's history, mayors are playing an active role in mobilizing these local community and civic interests to act collectively on behalf of children and youth. These leaders see a vital link between their cities' capacity to prepare young people for successful adulthood and long-term civic vitality. More than any…

Schools continue to face a wide array of issues as they seek to improve student achievement and strengthen the community. While community schools have been identified as an important model for addressing these issues, the challenges to creating and sustaining them cannot be overlooked. They are complex systems that must be established carefully…

With the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the authors' goal was to produce an analysis that would allow educators and policy makers to set priorities "across" categories of support (e.g., the relative importance of expectations as compared to information and awareness) and "within" categories (e.g., whether…

Explains how teachers differentiate their teaching practices to support inclusive classrooms. Discusses system of democratic governance, culture of collaboration, commitment to and capacity for professional growth, strong leadership, and concern about equity and the success and well-being of individual students as factors for transforming school…

The UK-I-Can Program is an adaptation of the Amer-I-Can Program, introduced in 1988 to help individuals meet their full potential and improve the quality of their lives. The focus of the program is equipping young people with life management skills necessary to lead fulfilling and productive lives, based on the belief that individuals' self-esteem…

In 2003, with funding from The Wallace Foundation, a national team of researchers organized by Stanford University and The Finance Project set out to find and examine a set of exemplary pre- and in-service professional development programs for principals, along with the policy contexts in which they operate. The purpose of the study was to…

Nearly one-quarter of students in community colleges leave school during the first year of enrollment for reasons other than transfer or credential completion. Generally, nontraditional community college students drop out within their first year at higher rates than do traditional students. Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue looks at changes in cohort composition. The analysis addresses the changing composition of the Achieving the Dream student cohorts from 2002 to 2005. The data show that at Achieving the Dream colleges, the percentage of Hispanic students increased over the four cohorts…

This monograph provides an overview of the characteristics, attributes, and behaviors that define and identify elementary school students who are at risk of not succeeding in mathematics. The monograph is divided into seven sections that report research to support early intervention procedures to prevent problems from developing and suggest…

This 6-year project sought to develop programs to impact student academic success and retention. Three separate programs were developed to serve the learning improvement needs of different constituents and situations. All programs were offered at a large, land-grant research university. The Residential Success Program was designed to provide…