Goal 5 of "The Illinois Commitment," strategic plan for higher education in Illinois, stipulates that by 2004, all academic programs will systematically assess student learning and use assessment results to improve programs. This paper provides the history and context for the systematic assessment of student learning, including…

The Executive Committee and the Subcommittee on Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention were charged to develop and provide leadership to implement a state plan to reduce adolescent pregnancy in Wisconsin. Both the negative outcomes for adolescent parents and their children and the cost to society are at issue. This document serves as a first step to…

Recent expansions in Medicaid coverage for children and state health insurance programs for children mean that the majority of low-income children in the United States now are eligible for health insurance. A new analysis of Census data, presented in this report, finds that 94% of all uninsured children with family incomes below twice the poverty…

This report reviews the proposal by the California State University (CSU) to establish a 23rd campus to be know as California State University, Channel Islands. The proposed institution will be a full-service campus with a lower division, upper division, and graduate educational services, located in a former state hospital in Ventura County. The…

The Reading First initiative is a central part of the federal "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001. Reading First's primary goal is to improve reading instruction and student performance in kindergarten through grade 3. By March 2003 only half of the 50 state plans had been approved for funding. Approved states included seven Southern…

This report presents, in outline form, an overview of the purpose and activities of the Partnership Opportunities Subcommittee of the Task Force for Enhancing Access for African American Males of the University System of Georgia. The Subcommittee is charged with identifying a wide array of educational, civic, and business organizations to serve as…

This guide explains the results and other information contained in the "Test Item Analysis Report," the "Test Item Report Summary," the "School Report," and the "District Report" for the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests of spring 2002.The report contains these sections: (1)…

This report shares with educators and the public all of the test items on which spring 2002 student results from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) are based. The release of these items provides information on the kinds of knowledge and skills students are expected to demonstrate on the MCAS tests. Local educators are…

The success of standards-based education systems depends on two elements: strong standards and assessments that measure what the standards expect. States that have, or adopt, test-based accountability programs claim that their tests are aligned to their standards. But there has been, up to now, no independent methodology for checking alignment.…

This study was conducted to investigate whether state departments of education still issue a certificate for the role of school supervisor, and, if so, to determine the nature of those certificates. The research will be useful in the debate about whether instructional supervisors should be eliminated. The primary sources of data were the…

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) has collaborated with education leaders from colleges, universities, and elementary- and secondary-education institutions, business and industry leaders, and members of the state government to develop a strategic plan for higher education for Virginia. The plan acknowledges the enrollment…

This paper provides, in summary form, a discussion of the central issues arising from an examination of State Accountability Workbooks prepared for Peer Reviews through the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and subsequent approval discussions made by ED. These issues have their genesis in requirements set forth under the No Child Left Behind Act…

The Family to Family initiative has encouraged states to reconceptualize, redesign, and reconstruct their foster care systems. By 1996, the initiative was being implemented in five states, five Georgia counties, and Los Angeles County, California. To implement necessary changes, Family to Family sites have designed and tested an approach called…

The Family to Family initiative has encouraged states to reconceptualize, redesign, and reconstruct their foster care systems. By 1996, the initiative was being implemented in five states, five Georgia counties, and Los Angeles County, California. This paper describes some of the ways natural helpers can assist professionals achieve the necessary…

While the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 included many provision of concern to child advocates, the Act also gave states increased flexibility to design welfare programs in ways that support children, or that ameliorate some of the harshest provisions of the Act. This issue brief describes innovative…