For more than half a century the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has served the West well. Organized formally in 1951 as an intentional collaboration between state governments in the West, and launching an embryonic program of activities in 1953, WICHE has continuously and effectively served one mission: to expand access…

The purpose of this study was to develop a description of the Gateway Grants Program, providing data on the activities that states and Gateway Grantees have undertaken in response to the Adult Education Act, as amended. Information was gathered through a survey of state officials administering the Gateway program and local directors of Gateway…

This publication documents the successes of a Mississippi Arts Commission program, entitled the "Artist Is In!". The program was created to provide arts experiences in rural and inner-city communities which have historically had little access to the arts. The program produced other benefits: spurred economic development and tourism; improved…

Working Connections is a program resulting from a partnership between the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and the Microsoft Corporation. The program was designed to help increase the number of skilled information technology (IT) workers by providing focused training in IT careers. Since 1998, AACC and Microsoft have awarded cash…

This paper asserts that early childhood teachers need to consider the families with whom they work in order to select the most effective ways to involve them in their child's education. The paper presents strategies mentioned most often in interviews with teachers and families working in effective family involvement programs. Each strategy is…

The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in 1997 signaled a major increase in time, energy, creativity, and money devoted to enrolling eligible children in health insurance programs. Child advocates and others have focused on developing outreach and enrollment strategies to bring the benefits of these new SCHIP programs to children…

This paper examines what public colleges are doing to improve the retention of students, and provides a synopsis of 12 examples of "best practices" in Indiana and 3 from other states. The commission also presents 11 observations, each accompanied by one or more possible strategies that might improve student retention. The observations…

This guide contains lesson plans for teaching consumer and homemaking skills to homeless families to support their transition to more secure and traditional lifestyles. Prioritized and developed based on the needs assessment of homeless families at the Salvation Army Gateway Transitional Housing in San Francisco, the 20 lessons in the guide cover…

This study guide contains lessons on consumer and homemaking skills for homeless families to aid their transition to more secure and traditional lifestyles. Prioritized and developed based on the needs assessment of homeless families at the Salvation Army Gateway Transitional Housing in San Francisco, the 20 lessons in the guide cover topics such…

Communities, frequently with government and school assistance, can implement programs that help teenage and young adult males develop into caring and responsible fathers. This digest briefly describes program components shown to be most effective. Effective programs take account of ethnic differences and use culturally sensitive outreach…

Five community responses to unemployment are described: (1) retraining for California auto workers; (2) upgrading and retraining at Indian Meridian Vo-Tech, Oklahoma; (3) Greater Lowell Regional Vocational Technical School's high-tech training program; (4) metropolitan reemployment project, St Louis, Missouri; and (5) Trade Readjustment Act…

Child health services in the United States are inadequate. The United States can provide an integrated and coordinated program of school health within a comprehensive system of preventive services. (JN)

A sex education outreach program emphasizing values, moral reasoning, and approaches to problem solving was developed in response to the rise in teenage pregnancies. Aspects of the sex education program structure included: (1) decision making regarding sex; (2) contraception; (3) parental involvement; (4) outreach volunteer training; and (5)…

A monthly counselor's letter functions in a multifaceted way. Information is conveyed, counselor visibility and impact are heightened, and teachers and parents are further included in the counseling process. A special letter segment, dealing with developmental difficulties, invites parents and teachers to become extensions of the counselor's…

Describes a program at Delta College (Michigan) which attempts to remove financial, geographical, psychological, and social barriers to existing services to integrate older adults into the service population, and which offers specialized services focusing on gerontological service, training, and development to meet the individual and group needs…