This document examines policy issues related to preparing educators to work with diverse learners, including students with disabilities. It begins by discussing the growing emphasis on accountability for all students and general education and special education as a unified system. Strategies that states are using for teacher recruitment and…

This volume represents the work of the Mid-continent Regional Education Laboratory (McREL) in surveying and consolidating the national and state efforts to identify what students in kindergarten through grade 12 should know and be able to do in a variety of subject areas. McREL researchers consulted 116 national and state documents that address…

On July 22, 1997, a panel of approximately 25 individuals, including members of the Accountability Committee of the National Association of State Directors of Vocational Technical Education, participated in a focus group for the following purposes: to identify the information needed for program accountability; to assess the National Center for…

The National Association of State Directors of Vocational Technical Education Consortium (NASDVTEC) supports enactment of legislation that is dedicated solely to vocational-technical education (VTE). NASDVTEC urges the 105th Congress to build on the existing foundation of a strong state role in VTE by drafting legislation that achieves the…

Information on the implementation of services for preschool children with special needs and their families is presented, based on current or previous surveys of 50 states, the District of Columbia, and eight outlying jurisdictions. The information is presented in tabular form and is organized into nine sections related to the Individuals with…

This case study, part of the State Structures for the Governance of Higher Education study, focuses on governance and related issues in Florida's higher education system. The study's overall purpose was to examine differences among states in their governance structures, and to determine if differences in performance were related to governing…

This case study, part of the State Structures for the Governance of Higher Education study, focuses on governance and related issues in Texas's higher education system. The study's overall purpose was to examine differences among states in their governance structures, and to determine if differences in performance were related to governing…

As part of a cross-national research project on literature instruction in middle-grade classrooms in Great Britain and the United States this study explored the effects of external assessment on that instruction. The focus was on the literature selected, the class time allotted, and provisions made for students' choices. The study explored the…

Battelle Memorial Institute conducted outcome, net impact, and cost-benefit evaluations of six workforce training programs in Washington State for occupations that do not require a bachelor's degree: postsecondary workforce training at community and technical colleges; adult basic skills education at community and technical colleges; Job Training…

This study analyzes the gaps between supply and demand for workforce training in Washington State and recommends strategies for reducing the gaps. Using data from state and national surveys, supply and demand is analyzed in three categories: youth, adults, and adults with barriers to employment, from the perspectives of both employers and…

An evaluation was conducted of the Hawaii Food Stamp Employment and Training/Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Program Conformance Demonstration, known as PRIDE (Positive Response in Developing Employment). The impact analysis examined client participation patterns, services, and employment outcomes. A pre-post/demonstration-comparison site…

Texas is developing a return-on-investment (ROI) measure to assess the cost-effectiveness of work force programs. Emphasis is on issues related to conducting cross-program ROI analysis at the level of the Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB) in career or one-stop centers. To make the most appropriate and effective use of ROI, the following…

As year 4 of a 7-year initiative to implement the School-to-Work (STW) Opportunities Act begins, 37 states have received implementation grants and 105 direct federally-funded and over 900 state-funded local partnerships exist. In 1997, technical assistance is available to any of the remaining 13 states ready for full-scale implementation. Notable…

For program year 1996-97, 222,639 North Carolina (NC) 9th-12th graders were enrolled in Workforce Development Education (WDE). Twenty-five curriculum products were developed, 34 course blueprints were revised to reflect business/industry practices and state/national standards, and about 3,600 business/industry personnel participated in WDE…

During the 1920s, progressive women activists invented welfare to help mothers and their children survive when breadwinning fathers either died or abandoned their families. During the 1930s, the local mothers' pension programs of the Progressive Era became part of the emerging national welfare state, which was conceived to relieve poor single…