This report contains data on state library agencies in the 50 states and the District of Columbia for state fiscal year (FY) 2004. The data were collected through the State Library Agencies (StLA) Survey, the product of a cooperative effort between the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and…

In the Fall of 2003, the Pennsylvania Build Initiative convened a Rate Policy Task Force to broadly examine the issue of child care rates and make recommendations for action. The Task Force goal was two-fold: (1) to suggest ways that the rate and payment process currently used by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) can better…

This book is a guide designed for rehabilitation agencies to plan for staff retirements and other turnover. It examines the process of succession planning, necessary tools, resources, and positioning the organization for future success. Chapters have the following titles: (1) "Succession Planning in a Dynamic Environment"; (2)…

This report describes the best practices identified by eight projects in upstate New York funded to work towards increasing the number of individuals with developmental disabilities who serve in leadership roles on policy boards and planning committees of community agencies and organizations. Programs were based on the model developed by…

This Non-Regulatory Guidance explains how State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and State agencies for higher education can effectively use Title II, Part A funds to ensure that all teachers are highly qualified and effective, a critical component of the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education…

The Department of Education administers an annual budget in excess of $63 billion through programs, grants, and loans that serve approximately 14,000 public school districts, nearly 54 million students attending 93,000 elementary and secondary schools, and almost 22 million post-secondary students. The primary beneficiaries of this work are the…

In 1997, New York State passed legislation implementing Universal Prekindergarten (UPK), a new educational program with the goal of providing a voluntary, high-quality preschool experience to all 4-year-olds and improving school readiness. One of the program requirements is that school districts contract out at least 10 percent of UPK funds to…

Certain state or not-for-profit agencies guarantee payment to banks and other lending institutions if students fail to repay loans obtained through the Federal Family Education Loan Program. The 1998 amendments to the Higher Education Act authorize the Secretary of Education to enter into voluntary flexible agreements (VFAs) with individual…

This report highlights the functions, services, and programs offered to the state's citizens by the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office and the state's Higher Education Services Council. The Minnesota Higher Education Services Office works to provide high quality, statewide services to the citizens of Minnesota toward achieving student…

The primary purpose of this document is to provide accrediting organizations with guidance about how to engage evidence of student learning as they establish policies, standards, and approaches to review. As a result, it addresses three main topics: (1) accreditors must be clear about terminology when considering evidence of student learning…

This document consists of five fact sheets from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. The first fact sheet, Overview of Accreditation, provides information on the numbers of accredited institutions of higher learning in the United States and the types and numbers of accrediting organizations. The fact sheet also discusses the purposes of…

This fact sheet reports data from a national survey of state mental retardation/developmental disabilities (MR/DD) agencies. The survey was designed to investigate the distribution of people supported by state MR/DD agencies in integrated versus facility-based day and employment services and the levels of funding. Results indicate that while the…

The Down East Partnership for Children (DEPC) was established in 1993 to bring together health, education, and social service agencies to address the needs of children and families in two eastern North Carolina counties. Collaboration theory provided a useful lens through which to examine the development of the partnership, recognize preconditions…

The dictionary of contemporary Maori, a revised edition, includes over 2,000 previously unpublished terms and provides Maori derivation of each entry, based on recent research into the language. An introductory section is in both Maori and English. Entries are in two sections: English-Maori and Maori-English. In addition, an appendix lists the…

This document presents the 1996 Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) standards based on current knowledge, children's developmental needs, and tested ways of meeting these needs most effectively. The standards are intended to provide goals for improving services to children and families and are used in the development of the standards of the…