This report provides six mini-case studies of higher education policy reforms enacted in other states, exploring the important role that state policy leadership played in developing, promoting, and implementing these policies aimed at improving higher education outcomes, and discussing the relevance of each reform effort for California. This…

Relates the history of First Impressions, an early childhood initiative in Colorado. Insights gleaned from the First Impressions story are offered for advocates of early childhood education. (BG)

This case study is intended to provide education planners in other states with information on Colorado's experience with the Lifelong Learning Project. It is organized into several sections. To set the context, major circumstances affecting state-level planning and policy development are described. They are presented under two headings: (1)…

In 1989, the state of Colorado participated in a policy academy on families and children at risk. The intent of the policy academy was to enable states to develop a strategic plan for families and children that would be family focused with an emphasis on family self-sufficiency, and to begin to create a service delivery system integrated across…

The First Impressions initiative was created in 1987 by Governor Roy Romer of Colorado to increase public awareness of the critical importance of the first 5 years of life, assist communities in developing effective programs for young children and their families, and influence early childhood policy and practice. In 1991-92, the priorities of…

A project examined changes in the workplace and in employment in four states that were broadly representative of the United States--Colorado, Indiana, Mississippi, and Missouri. It identified common concerns and issues across the four states, including graduated awareness of the vast changes in the workplace, the ambivalence of business leaders'…

The decline in Federal funding for state-provided social services during the 1980s triggered a transformation in the states' roles in family policymaking. This booklet documents four state initiatives designed to bring about systems change: (1) Healthy Start (California); (2) the Governor's Families and Children Initiative (Colorado); (3) the…

This report discusses the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that require states to develop alternate assessments for students with disabilities who cannot participate in large-scale assessment programs. The report also profiles five state alternate assessment practices that have been developed or are emerging and…

This document contains action plans for four states (Colorado, Indiana, Mississippi, and Missouri) involved in the Jobs for the Future program designed to enhance states' ability to handle economic change. The first section, "A Call to Action," discusses what Colorado's public and private sectors must consider doing to meet the…

Jobs for the Future undertook a program designed to enhance the ability of four states--Colorado, Indiana, Mississippi, and Missouri--to manage economic change is described in this report. An analysis of what was happening in the state economies, especially the kinds of jobs that were being created, was carried out. The research portions of the…

This booklet provides guidelines for developing policy concerning the implementation of equal vocational education opportunities for women in Colorado. It begins with some introductory information pertaining to the problems of sex bias in vocational education. Next, a state plan for eliminating sex bias and sex-role stereotyping is presented. Then…

This paper is one in a series of research papers related to the state role in youth employment and training. It describes seven state-sponsored youth employment and training programs, representing a varied range of approaches that states have undertaken to address their youth employment problems. The first section of this paper provides capsule…

This document describes the essential elements of jobs for the Future's (JFF) four-state work force preparation policy proces. It begins with a brief outline of the following five steps: (1) use information to clarify necessary action; (2) create regional and community forums; (3) educate and empower the citizenry; (4) assess employer practices…

A study examined the effects of increased academic requirements for graduation on secondary vocational enrollments in Colorado. After identifying 111 of the school districts in Colorado that have recently increased their graduation requirements (representing 61 percent of the 180 school districts in the State), researchers randomly selected five…