Coaching is an individualized approach to professional development where educators work towards specific teaching goals with support and feedback from a designated colleague or expert. Coaching appears to be increasingly common in early childhood education (ECE) classrooms, and a number of local, state, and federal policy initiatives over the past…

A state education agency (SEA) served by the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) has requested information regarding state-developed (also referred to as state-determined) alternative models for schools receiving School Improvement Grant (SIG) funds. The state-determined school improvement model (one of three new models) offers an alternative to…

Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (2002), there has been increased interest in using student achievement data (through standardized tests) to evaluate teacher effectiveness. Two U.S. Department of Education secretaries, Secretary Spellings and Secretary Duncan, have expressed interest in growth models and the need to…

The Texas alternative certification program combines school district-provided training with some college coursework, emphasizing work with at-risk students and internship under a mentor. Many midcareer professionals and minorities have chose this route. (SK)

Because increased need for child protective services exceeded the Texas Department of Human Services' capacity for timely response, a 2-year Case Decision Project was implemented with the aim of applying automation to parts of the case investigation process. The project produced a Case Investigation Decision Support System with two sections: a…

A comparative evaluation methodology for vocational-technical education programs offered at public community colleges in Texas is described in this study. Evaluation concepts, design and methodology for comparative evaluation, trial of the comparative rating scale model, and feedback loop with recommendations for revision are presented. The…

Presents challenges to knowledge management revealed in a 1998 study of county judges and clerks in rural Texas courts. Proposes a model for integration of knowledge management work practices in local courts into large-scale state information systems. This model emphasizes the need for a holistic, well-integrated view of local practitioners' work…

Includes four articles that discuss evaluation methods for information management systems under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; building digital libraries at the University of California San Francisco's Tobacco Control Archives; IFLA's Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records; and designing the Texas email repository model…

This article reviews development and use of a statewide (Texas) space model for long-term planning, regulating new construction, and formula appropriations for general academic and, more recently, health-related institutions. Considers the work and recommendation of a 1998 study committee on space needs of health facilities, the Commissioner's…

The paper describes a 5-year longitudinal study of a Texas school district's implementation of an individualized mainstream special education program. "Plan A" program activities and outcomes are reported for five phases (sample subtopics in parentheses): initiation in one high school, one junior high school and eight elementary schools…

Based on a program developed in Texas, this guide was developed to help correctional educators coordinate educational services in the community with adult education program providers in order to provide appropriate programs for parolees and probationers. Following an introduction that explains terms of the criminal justice system and…

In anticipation of federal welfare reform, the Texas Department of Human Services developed and implemented the REFOCUS program, designed to enhance the economic self-sufficiency of English-as-a-Second-Language recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) through better use of existing education, job training, employment, and…

This theme issue covers "High School Programming" and approaches to meeting the needs of gifted high school students in Texas. The first article is "Thematic Interdisciplinary Curricula for Secondary Gifted Students in English and Social Studies" (Joel E. McIntosh and April W. Meacham). This approach is contrasted with the…

This two-year project demonstrated a model for preventing the removal of children from their homes, with the aim of reducing both the number of children entering foster care and the number of families recycled through the child protective services system. The project was a joint effort by the Texas Department of Human Services (DHS) Region 11…

An evaluation model was developed to measure the effectiveness of pilot programs in vocational education for handicapped persons in selected State schools and State hospitals in Texas. The model was field-tested by conducting evaluations of 16 pilot programs in vocational education for the handicapped located in seven State schools/hospitals. Data…