This manual is designed to help parents learn how the special education system works in Pennsylvania and how parents can use the system to benefit their child. Chapters of the manual cover the student's right to: (1) a free appropriate public education; (2) pre-evaluation screening; (3) evaluations and re-evaluations; (4) an individualized…

This report examines the present fiscal condition and changing nature of the system of public libraries in Massachusetts. Despite the impact of budget cuts on operating hours and staffing, the demand for library services has increased concomitantly with the information needs of individuals, professionals, and businesses. Many of the municipal…

This 1992 report from the Alabama Public Library Service includes directories of public libraries, single-county public library systems, multi-county public library systems, and multitype library systems in the state, as well as cross-references providing access to the libraries by name of the library and librarians. Individual library statistics…

Mississippi loses up to one-third of its potential high school graduates between grades 9 and 12. Developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy for student recruitment are the first and most important steps in organizing an adult basic education program to serve the needs of these individuals. Recruitment requires trying as many methods as…

The California Library Association has established a mentoring program to assist new or reentering librarians in establishing themselves in the profession. At the end of 3 years, the Mentor/Protege program had over 50 participating pairs of experienced and novice librarians. The program is described, and suggestions are given for implementing a…

Smart Start is North Carolina's partnership between state government and local leaders, service providers, and families to better serve children under six years and their families to ensure that all children start school healthy and prepared to succeed. Local Smart Start partnerships spent much of their first year formulating long-term plans,…

This research sought to determine and describe the impact of standards-based reform as a policy instrument by studying the ways in which state adoption of content standards affects local policy, programs, and practice. In 1992, the state of Delaware embarked on a plan to improve its public schools. While the state worked at determining what…

The North Carolina Testing Program is based on the assessment of higher level skills, the skills required to solve problems and make informed choices and decisions. This guide explains the end-of-course tests that are a component of the Testing Program and provides information to interpret them. The end-of-course tests for high school students are…

In 1993, nine states were awarded Making the Grade grants to develop financial and other strategies to foster replication of school-based health centers (SBHCs). This report details the financial strategies used by Vermont, Rhode Island, Oregon, North Carolina, New York, Maryland, Louisiana, Connecticut, and Colorado, as reported in a meeting of…

This arts resource guide is designed to serve as a companion document to the New York Learning Standards defined for each major curricular area. The guide provides teachers with information, strategies, learning experiences, sample assessments, and specific discipline materials to be used in the arts curriculum development process within each…

A project presented orientation and training for new (up to 2 years experience) Pennsylvania adult educators. It provided training to 85 new teachers through an intensive 2-day institute combining presentations on theory of adult learning with sessions on practical techniques. Two sets of regional focus groups and a preconference session at the…

The Even Start Literacy Program addresses the basic educational needs of parents and children of low-income families by providing a unified program of: (1) adult basic or secondary education and literacy programs for parents; (2) assistance for parents to effectively promote their children's educational development; and (3) early childhood…

One of the most common pediatric health problems is childhood lead poisoning. This report examines the preventable problem of lead poisoning. The report describes childhood lead poisoning as both a health problem to which infants and young children are most susceptible, and as a housing problem. More than half the housing units in Rhode Island…

The district-level implementation of a systemic educational change in teacher evaluation mandated at the state level was studied at the elementary and middle school level in a small rural school system. The historical background of teacher evaluation processes from early American schooling to the 1909s was studied. The pilot case study then…

In 1990, the state of Kentucky created a new school system through the Kentucky Educational Reform Act (KERA). While KERA mandates wide-ranging progressive reform, testing through the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS) makes sure teachers get the job done. Though all Kentucky teachers are involved in writing, those at the…