Provides review of credentialing movement from social-psychological perspective that illustrates process of evolution rehabilitation counseling has undergone over the past 20 years. Points out complexity and confusing nature of various credentials available and inherent anxiety that exists among rehabilitation counselors in sorting through various…

Investigated efficiency of Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs). Calculated efficiency based on resources available and service units produced. Results demonstrated extent of inefficiency in agencies and how efficiency of individual AAAs can be improved relative to peer agencies. Analysis of organizational type, size, and rural-urban differences…

Proposes five challenges of associational organization. Suggests that voluntary associations are conceptually and organizationally distinguishable from the bureaucratic service-delivering agencies of the broader nonprofit sector and that they merit specific research attention to build descriptive data and specialist theory. (Author)

An examination of AmeriCorps in five communities focused on its impact on the capacity of local community-based organizations to achieve community goals. Most partner organizations were unable to build sufficient commitment for self-governance; few programs were designed to encourage collective goals. Getting things done in local communities may…

Discusses the history of the North Central Association, focusing on how the "North Central" region earned its name and achieved its present size and shape, including Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, and New Mexico. Offers quotes about membership criteria from speakers at association meetings in the early 1900s. (MAB)

Traces the development and implementation of a staff development program for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Results of a study of the project indicate that participants exhibited increased self-confidence and provided more informative and consistent public presentations. (DDR)

Includes 11 reports from the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science; National Technical Information Service; National Archives and Records Administration; Library of Congress; Center for the Book; Federal Library and Information Center Committee; National Agricultural Library; National Library of Medicine; Government Printing…

Voluntary agencies' responses to change are moving toward use of business tools and techniques. However, these must be considered within the context of the nonprofit sector. Volunteer management could benefit from reciprocal learning--sharing its unique knowledge with the for-profit sector while learning from it. (Contains 38 references.) (SK)

The authors reviewed 40 mission statements guiding U.S. public child welfare practice for accessibility, clarity, and values. Nine of the 40 state-administered child welfare agencies had not posted their missions on the Web as of October 2002, and 30 mission statements required a 12th-grade or college reading level for easy comprehension. The…

This article describes what a private agency expended while addressing the transitional needs of former long-term foster youth and examines the association between expenditures and adult outcomes. Not all young adults accepted supports extended to them. In the sample, 41% of the young adults incurred expenses after age 19. Of those using supports,…

Adoption research commonly uses parents' reports of satisfaction when examining openness in adoption arrangements. This qualitative study aimed to fill a gap in the adoption research by using adolescents' voices to gain a better understanding of their adoption experiences. Adopted adolescents (n = 152) were interviewed concerning their…

Background: This paper reports the findings of a study of individual budgeting practices in state-financed developmental disabilities services in the United States. The study's purpose was to describe key process components and methodological variables integral to consumer-controlled, individual budgeting formats employed in state-funded services.…

Collaboration is a prerequisite for the sustainability of interagency programs, particularly those programs initially created with the support of time-limited grant-funding sources. From the perspective of evaluators, however, assessing collaboration among grant partners is often difficult. It is also challenging to present collaboration data to…

For much of the nineteenth century, the U.S. did not allocate many resources to intelligence gathering. Many Americans were wary of espionage, partly because of the disreputable association of espionage with the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, the nation's first private detective and police agency. In the realm of twentieth-century…

In this paper, the author explains the basic functions and processes of the federal government. She suggests that the media saturation that normally surrounds a presidential election year makes for a wonderful teaching opportunity. Critical baseline data to help students understand the United States Government is provided.