Noting social and demographic changes provoking a trend toward openness in adoption practice, this book presents the findings from a nationwide study examining the impact of variations in openness in adoption on participants in the adoptive kinship network: adopted children, adoptive parents, and the children's birth parents. The first chapter of…

In October 2000, the North Dakota Department of Human Services and the Head Start Collaboration Office convened the Early Care and Education Summit with the goal of developing a multi-year collaborative Early Care and Education Plan for the state. This document presents the Five-Year Visioning Plan, comprised of a vision statement, a mission…

This study examined characteristic attributes of non-formal education and the non-formal pedagogy directing its teaching and learning processes. Data were collected on organizational and pedagogical characteristics in several out-of-school organizations (youth movements, youth organizations, community centers, bypass educational systems, local…

This study uses a historical perspective to examine the interface of the Maryland Juvenile Justice Department and the Mental Hygiene Administration in their efforts to provide services to youth involved with the juvenile justice system who were found to have mental disorders. A time line was constructed documenting developments from the 16th…

To better monitor children and families served by state child welfare agencies, Congress authorized matching funds for the development of statewide automatic child welfare information systems (SACWIS) and required that U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) compile information on children served by state agencies. This report to…

This study investigated the ways in which youth organizations support families, highlighting the role of youth organizations in strengthening youth and their families; what youth organizations need to know and do to enhance their prospects for successfully supporting/strengthening youth and their families; and the type of external supports and…

In their search for new ways to assess their agencies' success in working with children and families, child welfare administrators and senior managers are increasingly seeking regular and reliable sources of information that help them evaluate agency performance, make ongoing decisions, and provide an accurate picture for agency staff and external…

The participant's manual contains training materials for a national conference on cultivating media relations in agencies concerned with independent living for people with disabilities. Preliminary materials include the conference agenda, background information about the trainers, organizational information on Independent Living Research…

Nearly a decade after ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), more information is needed about how it is being used to advance children's rights. The Yemen CRC Impact Study is part of the International CRC Impact Study, a project of Radda Barnen/Swedish Save the Children. The study's focus is on how and whether the Yemeni…

Because increasing numbers of children receive their health care through managed care organizations, and parents often turn to health care providers for information, these organizations have a unique opportunity to affect children's development. This document comprises two publications, a full report and a brief; it discusses the role of the…

An evaluation was conducted to study the fiscal section of the State Library Agencies Survey of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), examining Parts K, L, and M. The evaluation was designed to check for duplication of data collection between the survey and the compliance materials of the Office of Library Programs (OLP), a former…

This report presents the results of a survey of New Zealand principals whose schools had recently undergone an Education Review Office (ERO) study in 1995-96. A total of 602 principals responded to the survey. A comparison of school characteristics indicates good representation, with some slight underrepresentation of city schools and other…

This guide provides new direction in financial management and oversight practices for accounting and charging administrative costs as they relate to programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education. The document is divided into six sections. Section 1, which presents general information, offers details on definitions; indirect-cost rates;…

Nonprofit agencies involved in child welfare are increasingly interested in generating publicity for their work and improving their organization's public image. This booklet compiles information, tips, and resources helpful to public relations and communications professionals and agency personnel responsible for handling media relations for child…

In 1999, researchers conducted case studies on 12 states and multiple local sites to document how welfare reform and other changes affected child welfare agencies, following up on 1997 case studies. They conducted interviews with welfare and child welfare stakeholders and focus groups with child welfare workers. Respondents discussed the impact of…