This report synthesizes information from the Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education on factors associated with special education teacher quality and teachers' intent to remain in the profession. It applies these findings to the school administrator's role in promoting teacher quality. Concerning teacher quality and career plans, it finds…

Building on the efforts of the ASPIIRE IDEA Partnership Paraprofessional Work Group convened under the leadership of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) in the spring of 1999, this report summarizes issues and themes identified at a June 2001, 1-day cross-partnership forum on paraprofessional issues relating to the implementation…

This report examines the community organizational structures and the views of community and organizational leaders of the New York City area Dominican and Colombian populations. Community public policy needs are identified, and the degree to which these leaders feel needs are being met is explored. In the first stage of research, the organizations…

This book introduces key issues in program planning as practiced in business and educational settings. Two chapters in part 1 introduce two foundational models--Lifelong Education Program Planning (LEPP) model and Contingency-Based Program Planning--and provide background on models designed by Houle, Knowles, Boyle, and Nadler. Parts 2-5 focus on…

In response to the increased need for remediation, the Illinois Community College Board conducted a study examining the scope, cost, structure, outcomes, and policies of the remedial/developmental education in the Illinois Community College System. Findings indicated an increase in enrollment in remedial/developmental coursework, with math…

To determine how best to connect public work force services in Texas with employers' needs, a study reviewed literature on employer involvement in government-sponsored training programs. Study activities included the following: review of findings from two recent national surveys on employer training, identification of states most strongly…

When the new government of the Australian state of Victoria was elected in 1992, it began the most radical change to an education system in the history of the country, introducing the Schools of the Future initiative. The underlying rationale, which has its roots in 20 years of experience in Victoria, is that quality outcomes of schooling can only…

Microcomputers in schools contribute significantly to the learning process, and software selection is taken as seriously as the selection of text books. The seven step process for responsible software selection are: (1) analyzing needs, including the differentiation between needs and objectives; (2) specification of requirements; (3) identifying…

This report to the President and Congress addresses issues affecting people with disabilities from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds, based on a series of meetings which identified remaining barriers to full participation and developed recommendations for improving federal policies and programs. The main barriers which emerged were: (1)…

This paper examined issues that affect rural students with exceptionalities and identified effective techniques to reverse problems confronting these students. Following an introductory section, an overview of rural special education programs identifies consistent problems of misidentification, mistakes in assessment, misclassification,…

This paper offers suggestions for state systems change activities to enhance the assistive technology (AT) workforce funded under the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988. Nationally, the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America AT has begun to credential AT practitioners…

This book considers issues relating to the development, revision, and evaluation of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), including best practices that have been developed by states and school districts. It begins with an overview of the objective of education for all children regardless of disability, with appropriate goals and instruction to…

This document consists of the four 2002 issues of a newsletter that provides current information and research on leadership and administrative issues in early childhood education. The Spring 2002 issue examines Illinois' plan for universal access to preschool by expanding the existing early care and education infrastructure to incorporate Head…

After-school programs provide an important educational setting for an increasing number of children and have been viewed as a way to help solve school problems, reduce drug use, and prevent violence and youth crime. This toolkit is designed to help school-based after-school program staff plan and make decisions in six critical areas: (1)…

This study compared occupational projections for Alabama with graduation rates in corresponding academic programs to provide a context for state and institutional policy decisions on new program initiatives and to comply with recent program viability legislation. The study examined number of degrees conferred, employment projections, and…