This book presents a comprehensive and detailed theory of early human development based on the principles of dynamic systems theory. It raises fundamental questions about prevailing assumptions in the field and proposes a new theory of the development of cognition and action, unifying recent advances in dynamic systems theory with current research…

This booklet for caregivers of infants and toddlers with disabilities is intended to provide an overview of early childhood development, from birth to 36 months of age. The booklet is organized into 3-month age spans for the first year, 6-month age spans for the second year, and a 12-month age span for the third year. For each level, typical…

Living in a world-class society with information-age technology challenges American educators to improve their communication and collaboration skills. Recent discussions concerning the school counselor's role in education emphasized the need to achieve a clearer understanding of this role in educational reform, and a desire to improve counselor…

This report describes the characteristics and activities of family day care networks and their role in providing professional support to family day care providers. The introduction explains the rationale for these networks and focuses on the work conducted by Child Care, Inc., in New York City, to develop them. Chapter 2 provides a background to…

To meet increasing demand, the State University System (SUS) of Florida has initiated joint program evaluations with the major professional accrediting bodies. As accreditation and program reviews typically demand similar information and similar procedures the two activities can be synchronized. The purpose of assessing and enhancing quality, a…

This report reviews legislative and administrative policies surrounding adult basic education, the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills program (JOBS) of the Family Support Act, and the Job Training and Partnership Act (JTPA). Recommendations are made for the development of an effective continuum of literacy services. Section A is a historical…

The forces of democratization of centralized governments and institutions and the pursuit of companies to deliver customer-defined quality in their goods and services requires better schools to achieve its goals. This book provides a plan for using a democratic and quality-driven process to build high-quality schools, i.e., applying private-sector…

This manual was developed to help expedite the efforts of postsecondary vocational education and Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs in developing comprehensive strategies, by joint planning, to serve the common targeted populations of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act of 1984 and JTPA. It is a supplement to "Navigating…

Information was collected and compared on services provided to dislocated workers by the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and the Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Assistance (EDWAA) programs. (TAA and EDWAA are the two major federal programs created to help dislocated workers make the transition to new employment.) Findings were based…

The two major programs to help dislocated workers make the transition to new employment are Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Assistance (EDWAA). Both programs have shortcomings that hamper their ability to help dislocated workers: they are slow in providing assistance, the services offered are often…

An organizational framework for establishing effective partnerships between school systems, social service providers, universities, and/or the private sector is presented in this paper. The different types of interorganizational structures, described along a continuum of increasing interdependence, include cooperative, coordinative, or…

A seminar disseminated and discussed the findings of a study carried out on the problems of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in accessing training and the support strategies applied in the 12 member states of European Community. Input was solicited from experts regarding the priorities of 11 strategies. Organizers used this information to…

The nation is currently struggling with the question of educating American children for a successful future, but little discussion has examined how to prepare both the educational system and adults within that system to help each student achieve. One such effort, Valuing Diversity in Schools, addresses policy, leadership development, and…

This document is divided into three volumes. Volume I describes what exemplary Private Industry Councils (PICS) do, Volume II explains why they are effective, and Volume III tells how to implement exemplary practice. Volume I contains case studies of 10 exemplary PICs organized by 7 topics areas (history and structure, policies and program…

This paper describes the implementation of an innovative integrated approach to the delivery of services for disadvantaged youth in Massachusetts, and examines the fiscal, political, and organizational factors that led to its subsequent demise. Massachusetts was one of the first states to envision and implement a statewide system of coordinated…