The Even Start Family Literacy Program is a national program designed to break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy by working with low-income families to improve adult literacy, parenting skills, and developmental and preschool readiness of young children in the family. The Monongalia County (West Virginia) Even Start Program is unusual in that…

Survival Skills for Youth (SSY) is a life skills management program developed for out-of-school youth who have a history of failure in academic or employment settings, or who are considered at-risk for failure in the adult world of work. The skills taught are grouped into 10 areas, one skill category per workshop. The workshops include up to 15…

This introduction to a reference guide for early childhood special education personnel in North Dakota discusses the purpose of the guidelines, the North Dakota philosophy on the importance of early intervention programs, and quality indicators of early intervention programs. The highlighted quality indicators of early childhood programs include:…

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…

This study compared preservice teachers' perceptions of their changing philosophies of education, comparing the reports of graduates from traditional, university-based programs with reports of graduates from intensive field-based programs. For eight semesters, teacher education graduates received a program evaluation survey in the mail 2 weeks…

The impact of educational reforms in Brazil has been assessed by the Brazilian Evaluation System of Basic Education (SAEB), a tool designed to measure the cognitive achievement of students. The SAEB comprises tests of Portuguese grammar and writing, mathematics, and science. Schools have used the SAEB mainly for comparisons among groups of…

A study surveyed 44 skills centers in The Gambia through a questionnaire, evaluated them regarding vocational training, and conducted on-site research of 17 targeted centers. Findings were as follows: most operated as private organizations; the retention rate was an average of 84%; centers operated with an average student/staff ratio of about 12:1…

This paper describes an institutional research office's use of extensive senior survey data to examine indirectly the effectiveness of a career services early intervention program over a period of four years. The study compared responses on the senior survey by participants (N=200) in the sophomore career exploration seminar with responses of…

The annotated bibliography lists albums, picture books, stories, novels, informational books, songs, and readings appropriate for children in grades K-3 in French immersion programs. An introductory section gives an overview of the bibliography and its use. The bibliography itself is divided into two sections, one citing literature of importance…

This paper describes a project in which teacher education students were paired with practicing teachers for a semester-long e-mail conversation about classroom accommodations for students with learning disabilities (LD). The objective of the project was to enable undergraduate teacher education students planning to teach students with learning…

In 1998, Trident Technical College conducted the 1997 Employer Follow-Up Survey to collect information from employers of 1997 graduates. A total of 373 employers of graduates were identified, of which 243 were contacted and interviewed. Findings indicate that employers rate graduates average or above average in most technical and personal skills.…

The Neighborhood Jobs Initiative (NJI) began in 1998 in five cities (Chicago, Fort Worth, Hartford, New York, and Washington, D.C.) in 1998. The NJI targets high-poverty urban neighborhoods, attempting to connect residents to employment opportunities nearby and in the urban periphery by providing training, supporting interpersonal networks, and…

This report provides information on design and evaluation of workplace literacy programs (WLPs) to improve work force readiness and an overview of concepts about the nature, uses, and abuses of standardized tests in program evaluation and accountability. Chapter 1 takes a sociohistorical and sociopolitical perspective in discussing the knowledge…

Many universities currently encourage the use of online materials to enhance on-campus courses. Assessment of the impact of these technology-enhanced course initiatives is necessary to give insight into the best practices--those that faculty should be encouraged to use based on student need. Assessment studies of this type will enrich the…

Noting that family literacy can work effectively to break the cycle of undereducation, this book examines the history of the national family literacy movement, discusses the role of the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), and presents guidelines for designing and developing a family literacy program. The book's introductory section…