The Pittsburgh Plan, a voluntary hometown plan designed to place minorities in local building trade unions, is described in detail from the perspective of its operations, its effectiveness in carrying out its purpose, and the individuals it serves. A benefit-cost analysis of the Pittsburgh Plan is presented. The significance of the results and its…

This is the final report on the first year evaluation of the Head Start/Medicaid Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) Collaborative Effort, a demonstration program that was initiated by the Office of Child Development OCD/HEW in 1974. In initiating the program, OCD/HEW set forth the following objectives: (1) to assess the…

This third national conference on open learning and nontraditional study attempted to demonstrate cooperative efforts across the country and to show how open learning and nontraditional study relate to unified efforts to achieve common goals. Topics discussed at the conference included: (1) the national overview, (2) military training programs,…

This discussion of the cost-effectiveness and cost-efficiency of media-based distance education focuses on a comparison of British Open University and conventional university costs. Expenses of instructional materials and their preparation are discussed in relation to student enrollment, and future possibilities for home-based systems are…

This "In Brief" edition provides highlights from the "Preventing Drug Use among Children and Adolescents: A Research-Based Guide for Parents, Educators, and Community Leaders, Second Edition." It presents the updated prevention principles, an overview of program planning, and critical first steps for those learning about prevention. Thus, this…

From July 1995 through September 2001, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Ford Foundation (Ford) operated a demonstration of the Quantum Opportunity Program (QOP). QOP offered intensive and comprehensive services to help at-risk youth graduate from high school and enroll in postsecondary education or training. QOP was mainly an…

The aim of this report was to quantify the benefit, in terms of higher wages, of completing a vocational education and training (VET) qualification. Two factors influenced the direction of this research. First of all, VET is concerned primarily with improvements in skill levels (with a likely consequence of improved productivity and therefore…

This paper discusses the work of the Education Trust and other teams of researchers and school leaders. If focuses on one symposium on and five research studies of high-performing, high-poverty schools. The six studies provided information about best practices in school leadership, organization, and instruction. Building on scholarship from the…

The utility of a quasi-experimental evaluation design for estimating benefits derived from a program to match job-seekers to openings listed by employers was examined in three studies of Job Service referrals and placements in Washington and Oregon. Data examined included a mail survey of a sample of 587 Washington residents referred to job…

This briefing paper provides background information and reports on the achievements and future challenges of the Preschool Grants Program of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Section 619 authorizes grants to states to provide special education and related services to children, ages 3 through 5 years, with disabilities. This…

Over the past two decades, America has embarked on a campaign to improve public schools for all our nation's children. Educators have turned their focus to the outcomes of schooling. The Committee for Economic Development (CED) has urged such reforms, and this report concentrates on the need to link the way schools are funded and managed to the…

This book is designed to give planners of open and distance learning programs the technical information needed to determine the cost of programs and analyze the behavior of costs. The following are among the topics discussed: budgets; classification of resources (human resources, premises and accommodation, and equipment and furniture); a basic…

This annual report of the National Council on Disability surveys major legal and policy developments during the year 2002 and offers recommendations for legal/policy measures and for research. The first chapter identifies legal and policy issues that cross traditional areas, focusing on six themes: (1) the mainstreaming of disability issues; (2)…

The approaches to management of part-time lecturing staff in the United Kingdom's further education (FE) colleges were examined in a study that included the following research activities: review of relevant publications and Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) statistics; postal survey of 454 FE colleges in England and Wales that elicited 67…

This report examines some of the costs of higher education and the benefits Illinois citizens receive in return. The study examines both public and private higher education and measures the impact on a state-wide basis. Data come from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and data collected by the Illinois State Board of Higher…