This study provides updated information about states' kinship care policies for children in foster care based on a survey conducted in 1999. Almost all states give preference to and seek out kin when placing a child in foster care. However, states vary in the way that they assess and support kinship care. Most states assess kin differently than…

This special report discusses the budget allocations of the proposed Illinois Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 budget. The report highlights two critical issues with far-reaching implications: the use of tobacco settlement monies and phased-in tax relief measures. The report describes steady growth across most agency-level appropriations, with the Department…

The Family to Family Initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation has encouraged states to reconceptualize, redesign, and reconstruct their foster care systems. By 1996, the Foundation had selected and funded five states and six counties in two other states to develop family-centered, neighborhood-based family foster care systems within one or more…

As a supplement to an analysis of the devolution of policymaking for immigrants from the federal government to the states, this report provides a one-page summary of each state's immigrant eligibility rules for cash, food, and health assistance programs. It also notes state naturalization initiatives begun or expanded in the wake of welfare…

This policy brief summarizes research results and provides guidance regarding decisions associated with school accountability. Unlike previous notions of accountability, a standards-based system examines outputs, such as student performance and graduation rates, as well as inputs like the amount of instructional time or the number of books in the…

As part of Vermont's efforts to set shared educational goals, this document describes what is expected of Vermont students. It is designed as a guide to parents about what teachers and schools are doing to help students meet the state's new expectations. Vermont has defined an educational framework that encourages many different learning styles…

The state of Rhode Island has recently embarked in a new state accountability system for public elementary and secondary education. An overview of the system is provided, coupled with an understanding of accountability systems as technologies of social control. The ramifications of such technologies are discussed along with the costs, benefits,…

This report examines what states have done with their new responsibilities under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). Although Congress has gone a long way toward undoing the initial immigrant restrictions of the PRWORA, it has left the devolution of authority from the federal government to the states to…

This study guide is designed to help teachers understand the role assessment plays in helping students learn and to help teachers improve their own assessment capacities. The guide contains assigned readings, discussion questions, activities, checks for understanding, and reflections for learners using the "Classroom Assessment: Linking…

This document presents the annual report and recommendations of Minnesota's Medical Education and Research Costs (MERC) Trust Fund, a program that provides funding for the clinical training of selected medical professions through compensating the costs of training provided in a clinical teaching environment. State general funds and health care…

This document contains the enrollment application form and line-by-line instructions for subscribing to LincOn, a statewide network, administered by the Illinois State Board of Education, that allows public K-12 schools to access the Internet. An overview of LincOn and a checklist for implementing LincOn membership are also included. Appendices…

The Alabama Commission on Higher Education has the statutory responsibility for the overall statewide planning and coordination of higher education in Alabama, the administration of various student aid programs, and the performance of designated regulatory functions. This annual report provides information about all of these responsibilities and…

This report provides an overview of southeastern state efforts to assist low-performance schools in building capacity to improve students' academic achievement. High poverty, poor economic resources, and a high turnover rate of both students and practitioners are factors that impede school improvement. High-poverty schools that do improve commonly…

The Wisconsin legislature has required the Department of Public Instruction to adopt or approve standardized tests for statewide use to measure student attainment of knowledge and concepts in grades 4, 8, and 10. Although school districts generally gave high ratings to the contents of TerraNova (McGraw Hill), the testing instrument most recently…

The practices, policies, and procedures used in all 50 states for evaluating school and school district effectiveness were examined, with a focus on the study of methodological and measurement issues in the collection, analysis, and reporting of information for accountability purposes. Data were collected through computerized literature and Web…