California's Proposition 10, the "Children and Families Act," has targeted three general areas for improvement in support of families and young children: improved family functioning, improved child development, and improved child health. Proposition 10 views parents as critical to the development of young children. Noting that parent…

The views of rehabilitation consumers have not played a central role in shaping training programs for rehabilitation counselors. Likewise, partnerships between state vocational rehabilitation agencies and institutions of higher education have not been developed to their full potential. A planned collaboration between Montana Vocational…

The Interprofessional Education and Training (IPET) Network recently assessed what is needed to foster a vital nationwide movement to develop interprofessional education and training as part of the normal mode of professional preparation for child and family services. It was decided that the top priority should be to facilitate the exchange of…

Interoperability and data-exchange are critical for the survival of government information management programs. E-government initiatives are transforming the way the government interacts with the public. More information is to be made available through Web-enabled technologies. Programs such as the NASA's Scientific and Technical Information (STI)…

The President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health solicited public comment from stakeholders in the mental health community on various topics related to the Commissions mission. The goal was to gain a better understanding of the publics experiences with, concerns about, and hopes for the mental health care system. More than twelve hundred…

This brief paper describes the Circle of Collaboration approach at one elementary school in Utah that is focusing on development of an inclusive school for all students and implementation of a program (Balance Literacy) to enhance students' reading skills. Balance Literacy incorporates phonemic awareness, phonic instruction, fluency, vocabulary,…

This document describes results of a study of the Dual Admission Programs for San Diego State University (SDSU) during fall 2002. The program is designed for first-time freshmen in the SDSU regional service area who meet the following conditions: (1) Meet the California State University (CSU) admission requirements; (2) Do not meet SDSU's…

This monograph presents lessons learned from the five-year (1992-97) project, Together We're Better, a federally funded systems change project focused on inclusion of children with severe disabilities in Minnesota schools and communities. The project identified six focus areas: (1) district partnerships, (2) personnel preparation and development,…

This skills packet is part of the North Carolina Helping Education in Low-Performing Schools program. This initiative helps educators establish ties with technical-assistance partners who can facilitate school-improvement efforts. The skills packet, which was designed to be delivered by a skilled trainer, focuses on leadership development. Its…

Using the same approach of family involvement and empowerment that has guided Head Start, Early Head Start offers its services to pregnant women and children, birth to age 3. One of the characteristics that differentiates Early Head Start from traditional Head Start is the mandate to offer full-day, full-year services to infants and toddlers. The…

Urban revitalization is an economic and social strategy that has been necessitated by decreased interest in both residence and commercialization within major cities. Urban business environments are confronted with many unique socioeconomic challenges, including discrimination against residents, negative stereotypes of urban areas, and inaccurate…

This paper examines a program that was developed at the University of Texas at Arlington to equip future educational leaders to guide schools through important educational reforms. The program offers a balance of seminars and internship experiences, departing from the traditional university-based delivery of instruction. The evaluation of the…

This guide uses the planning process at the University of Maryland, College Park, as an example of comprehensive campus-wide planning for institutional and programmatic diversity goals. Five planning principles are identified: (1) accountability, (2) inclusiveness, (3) shared responsibility, (4) evaluation, and (5) institutionalization. Chapters…

This monograph summarizes lessons learned from the 5 years that the Together We're Better (TWB) program worked to create inclusive learning environments in four Minnesota school districts. Each of the partner districts established a collaborative core planning team to provide leadership and management of efforts toward school change and inclusive…

Educational partnerships are an important strategy for increasing the authenticity and value of school for future citizens. In addition to the financial benefits that school-business partnerships bring to schools, there are a variety of teaching and learning benefits of making links with the community. This report outlines reasons why schools,…