The School-Based Youth Services Program (SBYSP) of the Iowa Department of Education has just completed its seventh year of operation. This report focuses on the 1995-96 school year, which was the second year of the expanded SBYSP, which went from its original 4 sites to 18. These sites include rural and urban areas, and some of the poorest areas…

An increasing number of counselors are becoming agents of social change. Ways in which counselors can enter the arena of social transformation are described in this collection of 18 articles. Following an introduction: (1) "Counselors as Agents of Social Change"--Part I, which focuses on promoting diversity and challenging oppression,…

The reasons for the phenomenon of guaranteed graduation are considered, as are criticisms of this approach. Guaranteed graduation programs have resulted in part as a result of an attempt to address issues and concerns about the cost of a college education, articulation of coursework, time to degree, and competency. While guarantees are designed to…

Many Canadian provinces are looking to Alberta for guidance about charter schools. This case study examines the closure of one charter school to identify the obstacles other schools may face. This study uses critical policy analysis and the "politics of interpretation" to examine the political context of educational policy issues. While…

This paper discusses federal requirements for addressing general education curriculum standards and student participation in educational assessments in the Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) of students with disabilities. Specific regulations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are cited, and the following recommendations are…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that each state participating in the federal early intervention program establish a state interagency coordinating council (SICC) to assist and advise the state lead agencies in achieving a coordinated service delivery system. Some states have also established local interagency…

This policy brief reviews how students with special needs have been affected by changing legislation, examines new directions in policymaking, and identifies steps policymakers can take to ensure that all students benefit from standards-based education reform efforts. Steps include: (1) bring standards-based instruction into institutions of higher…

In April 1999, the (Australian) Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs established a taskforce on making educational equality for Indigenous peoples a national priority; enhancing the performance and monitoring framework for the National Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives Programme (IESIP); and developing…

The most important burden of charter schools is the need to demonstrate that the instruction they provide actually benefits students. They can hire their own teachers, make their own tradeoffs between spending on administration and teaching, locate anywhere in the community, and let parents know in advance what a child must do to succeed in the…

This document is a compilation of annual data profile tables, Perkins measures, and institutional effectiveness measures and standards for South Texas Community College, 1998. Data highlights include: (1) total annual enrollment in 1996-97 was 11,508 (872 white; 29 black; 10,526 Hispanic; 69 Asian; 9 Native American; 3 international; and 81…

This comparison of standards-based reform with rural school improvement efforts that emphasize locally responsive, place-based curricula reveals differences and similarities in the two movements. The standards-based movement is focused on setting state and national standards that all students must meet, suggesting a common curricular focus. Most…

This study examines the quality of California's K-12 education, discussing how the system protects mediocrity and how to improve educational quality in the state. It explains that what most ails the teaching force is that excellent teachers are not rewarded for superior work, and failing teachers are rarely held accountable for poor performance.…

This paper uses data collected from the 50 states in year 2000 by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) to describe how states are holding schools accountable for student performance. The data collection process focused on policies in place during the 1999-2000 school year. Profiles prepared from this data represent the policy…

This paper summarizes results of telephone interviews with key personnel at 19 (out of 22) agencies receiving grants under the Center for Mental Health Services program, one part of a 5-year evaluation study examining the impact that utilizing measurable outcomes has on service systems. This component focused on the conceptualization and…

The emphasis of school psychology on prevention, early intervention, assessment, collaboration, and problem solving requires counselors to have a tremendous range of evidence-based knowledge. This publication, divided into two volumes, is designed to provide a comprehensive reference for school psychologists on contemporary research and…