In this article, the author takes an inside look at efforts in Worcester, Massachusetts to offer families the opportunities promised by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Worcester is the third largest school system in the state of Massachusetts, serving roughly 25,000 students in 46 public schools (36 elementary, 4 middle, 5 high, and one…

Directing a publicly funded project can present a number of challenges to researchers in reconciling their own philosophy with the expectations of their funders. This paper explores those dilemmas in the context of a four year project funded by the British Government to explore strategies to raise boys' achievement. It reflects on the underlying…

The Teacher-Centered Systemic Reform model (TCSR) recognizes teaching context, teacher characteristics, teacher thinking, and their interactions as influential factors in attempts to implement classroom reform. Using the TCSR model, teachers' personal practical theories, and conceptual change as a framework, the authors of this article studied…

Technology integration is a three-pronged effort. Not only do teachers, no matter the level, need to know how to use technology, they need to know how to integrate it into their curriculum. These two prongs were a consistent theme throughout the Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) projects. Add access to technology to these and…

Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, this issue of Data Notes compares terminal-major, transfer seeking and undeclared students. The different educational paths represent students with different objectives and likely different needs, both of which may be related to persistence. Understanding these differences is critical…

The 2008-09 Counselors and Mentors Handbook on Federal Student Aid provides useful information to help high school counselors, TRIO and GEAR UP staff, and other mentors advise students about financial aid for postsecondary education. This book focuses on the federal student aid programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education. It contains…

There was a major change in Canadian student aid in the late 1990s, due largely to a package of measures adopted by the Government Canada as part of its "Canada Opportunities Strategy". At the time, what aroused the most comment was the creation in 1998 of the $2.5 billion Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation (Foundation). But while…

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs received testimony from representatives of federal agencies as to how the U.S. government might better address the needs of American Indian youth through the development of federal laws, programs, and policies. The hearing was a followup to an oversight hearing 1 month earlier in which American Indian young…

In 1994, Alaska began the process of using its grant funds from the National School-to-Work Opportunities Act to design a school-to-work system to meet the following objectives: obtain commitment and involvement from Alaska's governor and officials involved in human resource development; develop an implementation plan for a statewide system to…

For many literacy organizations, obtaining adequate funding for a technology purchase is difficult and requires additional fund-raising activities outside of the regular program grant-funding processes. While the search for additional funding is time consuming and frustrating, the task can be made easier through careful organization and systematic…

This guide describes federal student aid programs for postsecondary education and how to apply for them. It begins by outlining sources for learning about student aid, such as school financial aid administrators, state higher education agencies, foundations, organizations related to particular fields of interest, and toll-free telephone numbers…

Based on an analysis of federal legislation related to workforce training, this six-part position paper describes the possibilities of new workforce legislation in Kansas and the role that Cowley County Community College (CCCC) and the state's other 18 community colleges might play in a new plan. The first part provides an overview of CCCC's role…

This package of training materials is intended for participants in a workshop for administrators at institutions of higher education involved in administering student financial aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. The workshop agenda is divided into two segments of 28 sessions over 5 days. Segment 1 consists of 11 sessions…

This annual report provides a blueprint for higher education in Missouri and reviews activities undertaken throughout the state to further these goals. It outlines the vision statement for higher education in the state and summarizes the 1996 Governor's Conference on Higher Education. The report goes on to discuss the state's plan for…

The North Carolina Department of Community Colleges (NCDCC) prepared this reference manual as a resource guide for planning and implementing continuing education (CE) courses. The manual includes essential information on courses, rules, resources, and procedures that are appropriate to course implementation and operation of a continuing education…