Discusses four trends in family life which are particularly affecting Head Start and other programs serving low-income families (1) feminization of poverty, (2) teenage parenting, (3) increasing number of employed mothers, and (4) increasing challenges to attaining economic self-sufficiency. Explores the implications of these trends for Head Start…

This report presents the findings from the 2004 formative evaluation of the Youth Employment Strategy (YES). It is based on the fieldwork and analysis that was conducted by Consulting and Audit Canada between September 2004 and December 2004. The report is organized in five sections: Section 1 provides background on the YES and on the evaluation…

The Learning Initiatives Program (LIP), formerly the Learning Initiatives Fund (LIF), is a contribution program which was established in 1994 to encourage and support initiatives that contribute to the development of a results-oriented, accessible, relevant and accountable learning system in Canada. Through this program, Human Resources and Skills…

The "Formative Evaluation of the Canada Student Loans Program" was undertaken to assess issues of program relevance, design and delivery and for the purposes of examining the early impacts of changes made to the program since 1998. The evaluation also reviewed the Performance Measurement Strategy contained in the July 2002 Results-Based…

"Discovering Successful Pathways in Children's Development" provides a new perspective on the study of childhood and family life. Successful development is enhanced when communities provide meaningful life pathways that children can seek out and engage. Successful pathways include both a culturally valued direction for development and competence…

Surveys show that 98% of school districts are reporting shortages of special education teachers, and that nearly a quarter of a million new special education teachers will be needed over the next few years. Special education teachers are leaving the field at twice the rate of general education teachers. Why? Special education teachers can quickly…

This report identifies barriers to developing livable communities and sheds light on potential methods for overcoming these barriers. It identifies and highlights multiple strategies that may be applied to the design and support of livable community principles. The identified strategies have been initiated by federal and state government agencies…

This paper presents the results of a formative evaluation of a young faculty development scholarship program conducted in teachers colleges in impoverished areas of China. In the paper we describe the implementation of the program, the utilization of scholarship by recipients, recipients' satisfaction, and outcome data. Based on these data we…

This document contains four papers from a symposium on cost analysis, evaluation, and feedback in human resource development. "Training Evaluation with 360-Degree Feedback" (Froukje A. Jellema) reports on a quasi-experimental study that examined the effectiveness of 360-degree feedback in evaluating the training received by nurses in a…

The Even Start Literacy Program, established in 1989, aims to simultaneously improve the literacy of children and their parents through (1) early childhood education; (2) parenting education; (3) adult education; and (4) parent-child joint literacy activities. The report details findings from the third national Even Start evaluation. The…

In 1997, Head Start launched the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), a study of a national random sample of Head Start programs, designed to describe characteristics, experiences, and outcomes for children and families served by Head Start. In 2000, FACES began data collection on a new national cohort of 2,800 children and their families…

As part of its mandate to help the European Commission (EC) define, provide, monitor, and evaluate support to vocational education and training (VET) in regions outside the European Union (EU), the European Training Foundation (ETF) provided assistance to the following areas in 2002: Central and Eastern Europe; the New Independent States and…

This issue hones in on professional development in four key sectors affecting children, youth, and families--K-12 education, early childhood education, child welfare, and youth development. Though these sectors face many of the same professional development challenges, each has its own unique issues, strengths, and goals. The staffing shortage in…

Recognizing the value and need for quality early childhood education programs for children ages four through eight years, the Michigan State Board of Education appointed an ad hoc committee to develop standards of quality. Based on the draft developed by this committee, this standards guide is designed to assist administrators, teachers, and…

Student-level data were collected in 5 states California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, and Oregon and analyzed to build understanding and improve the role of community colleges in adult education and literacy. The states illustrate the degree of diversity in governance systems and local provider systems and allow for comparative analyses by provider…