The Wisconsin Technical College System Board (WTCSB) funded the University of Wisconsin-Stout (UW-Stout) equity workshops and services projects for the past 10 years. Statewide equity staff development efforts and training workshops resulted in raised awareness of equity issues among administrators, counselors, and teachers. The WTCSB Evaluation…

A study assessed effectiveness of Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 performance measures. Data were from a survey of WIA program administrators in 50 states; visits to 5 states; interviews with labor officials and national associations representing state and local workforce development officials; and a document review. Findings indicate…

Wisconsin's school-to-work initiative, which was established in 1991, consists of six major components: local partnerships; youth apprenticeships; career counseling centers; tech prep; youth options; and at-risk youth programs. These programs are administered by Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and Department of Workforce…

This report documents the work done in Fiscal Year 1998 by the Ohio Department of Education, Division of Vocational and Adult Education, to address two major priorities as authorized by the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of 1990: (1) single parents, displaced homemakers, and single pregnant women; and (2)…

This bulletin outlines the programs submitted by 50 States and Territories for the second year of the Library Services Act. These programs reflect the planning and development which has been taking place across the Nation in the extension and improvement of public library service in rural areas. In the first year, fiscal 1957 (July 1, 1956,…

Provides of examples of performance-based assessments in three categories: (1) projects; (2) performances; and (3) question strategy sessions. Describes a typical performance-based assessment project including setting up the project, peer evaluation, the class presentation, and the test used. (CFR)

Explores the economic and demographic factors fueling rural homelessness, based on field research in scattered rural communities. Data were collected by interviewing low-income families and local service providers and from community agency and school records. Suggests strategies for preventing and responding to homelessness that would be…

Reviews information technology and resource sharing projects in Indiana. Topics include ACCESS INDIANA, an information infrastructure developed to expand Internet access, improve online access to government information, and accelerate the development of community networks; library automation; cooperative library services; high school library media…

Describes statewide information automation and connectivity efforts in North Carolina. Highlights include Triangle Research Libraries Network Document Delivery System; cooperative networking projects; public library connectivity to the state library; rural access projects; community college automation; K-12 technology plans; electronic government…

This overview of information technology in Pennsylvania discusses Internet access in public libraries; technology infrastructure; strategic partnerships; future possibilities; distance learning for small, rural, and/or poor school districts; an electronic communication network; a computer bulletin board for teachers; and a database for school,…

State and federal mandates for education reform call for increased accountability and the inclusion of students with disabilities in all accountability efforts. In the rush to implement high-stakes education reforms, particularly those involving tests or assessments, the particular needs of students with severe cognitive disabilities are only now…

At the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the call for all students to be "proficient" in reading and mathematics by 2014. Yet the law expects each state to define proficiency as it sees fit and design its own tests. This study investigated three research questions related to this policy: (1) How consistent are various…

This annual report highlights the work of some grantees who are finding innovative ways to respond to today's new challenges based on a rigorous commitment by their leadership to gathering pertinent facts. These include cities that are planning wide-scale, lasting improvements in arts learning or out-of-school opportunities, basing their choices…

One-third of all U.S. school children attend school in rural settings. Rural schools are much poorer than urban America, with most of the poorest counties in the United States located in rural areas. Equity is a concern not only in terms of race, class, gender, disability, and sexual orientation, but also in terms of being geographically located…

This publication updates information from prior surveys of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in the areas of: teacher licensure standards, standards boards, emergency or shortage-driven licensure, alternative preparation, minority teacher recruitment, state response to violence in classrooms, and linkages between efforts towards K-12…