To eliminate duplication of health education programs and more adequately distribute trained health workers, the Regional Technical Institute for Health Occupations (RTI) of the University of Alabama and 23 state 2-year colleges have developed a linkage program in which students attend a local junior college for one year, then transfer to the RTI…

Implications of the Education of the Handicapped Act, Part B are discussed in terms of comprehensive state plans, the new provisions called for by P.L. 93-380 and P.L. 94-142, and direct technical assistance. (SBH)

Why is adult education so important? Simply put, social and economic progress in the South rest on the foundation of education. While we improve elementary, middle and high schools to prepare the next generation of workers, we also continuously must shape today's work force for today's economy. In response to this need, Southern Regional…

To address the issue of student learning at the state level, an invitational forum of public policy, business, and education leaders was convened by James B. Hunt Jr., governor of North Carolina. The forum recommended that the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education initiate a "demonstration project" to determine whether or not it…

This report provides a bi-annual snapshot of how states regulate and support programs and services for gifted and talented learners. The report, developed from a survey of the state directors of programs for the gifted, covers questions about funding, state education agency support, mandates, identification, programs and services, personnel…

Applying the research-based developmental assets list of 40 positive relationships, experiences, and values as a framework for positive youth development provides communities with a set of factors associated with increased healthy behaviors and fewer high-risk behaviors. Beginning with a question regarding the applicability of this model for youth…

This study had two broad goals: to discuss state politics and accountability policies in Virginia and Georgia before the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and to analyze the civil rights implications of NCLB's accountability requirements for future policy decisions. Part 1 describes previous policies and governance arrangements and how these factors…

Texas has apparently achieved great success in closing the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students, at least in the lower grades. Texas students in all grades have made substantial gains on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS). The effect of TAAS-type accountability on student performance in the higher grades is important,…

Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was established to ensure that infants and toddlers with disabilities, from birth to age 3, and their families receive appropriate early intervention services. Within the Department of Education (Education), the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is responsible for awarding…

This report explores policies and practices governing online education with a particular focus on policies aiming to provide students with high-quality online learning experiences. The report looks specifically at two areas: state-level policies governing online education, and statewide online programs (i.e., programs created by legislation or by…

This brief is based on the 61-page report of the same name. This paper, commissioned by the Brookings Institution, studies the emergence of the mixed delivery model, in which pre-kindergarten is delivered in community-based settings and schools. It describes findings of a state survey CLASP conducted to understand the policy choices,…

Each spring, Arizona students participate in testing as part of the state's assessment program. Elementary and middle school students in grades 3 through 8 take the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards--Dual Purpose Assessment (AIMS DPA) in reading, writing, and mathematics. These tests serve as an important measure of student achievement for…

This brief document analyzes the goals and indicators provided by states as part of the second round of state Biennial Performance Reports (BPRs) covering the academic years 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 as required by the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Review of state (or other federal jurisdiction) BPRs examined:…

This publication is concerned with how to keep schools safe. The spring 2001 issue "New Study Reveals Prevalence, Harm of Bullying" (Ira Pollack) discusses a study about bullying based on data collected in 1998 by the World Health Organization's Health Behavior in School-Aged Children survey of 15,686 students in grades 6 through 10 and sheds…