Presents a set of snapshots of the work of the Staff Development Leadership Councils created by the National Staff Development Council in 1998, offering lessons for others who want to do similar work in their states and provinces. The examples come from Texas, Louisiana, Illinois, Kansas, and Indiana. Information on contact people for each project…

The federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, project strives to equalize low-income students' access to higher education by increasing their participation in rigorous coursework, providing expanded opportunities for low-income students and parents to learn about postsecondary educational opportunities…

A recent report published by the National Center on Performance Incentives (NCPI) presents findings from the second-year of a multi-year evaluation of the Texas Educator Excellence Grant (TEEG) program, a statewide educator incentive program that operated in Texas. As part of this larger study, evaluators examined how participation in the TEEG…

To address key policy and programmatic questions and help improve student and system performance, states must work to link data across the early childhood, postsecondary and workforce (P-20/workforce) spectrum and share this information with appropriate stakeholders. This issue brief highlights current efforts in California, Florida, Indiana, and…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrition Education and Training Program (NET) provides nutrition information and instructional resources for children and for key individuals involved in children's learning environments. The latter category includes parents, educators, and food service personnel. This document describes formal evaluation…

The goal of the Disabled Infants Project was to develop and implement a plan for updating child protective services in Texas to assure the protection of infants as required by the Child Abuse Amendments of 1984. As a result of the project, the Texas Department of Human Services has in place both policy and mechanisms which guide and enable…

Described in this process evaluation are the first-year efforts to provide a specialized staff within the Bexar County District Attorney's Office, San Antonio, Texas, to perform advocacy functions for abused and neglected children involved in cases going through the criminal justice system. The report discusses how well the staff met the three…

This report addresses the issue of whether Federal regulations and certain state and local office practices and procedures may discourage or prevent eligible persons from participating in the Food Stamp Program. The report focuses on only those procedures and practices that affect households once they have contacted the local food stamp office for…

Reviews major trends in state legislation affecting education in 1975, with particular emphasis on a number of states that either substantially increased state support for education (such as Texas), or initiated major new educational programs (such as Colorado), despite the financial pressures of inflation and recession. (JG)

An effective strategy to improve state planning for delivery of services to the handicapped is seen to involve a carefully developed "action sequence". (Author/SB)

In response to a request of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, public universities and community, technical, and state colleges in Texas were asked to provide examples of efficiencies implemented on their campuses between Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 and FY 2003. For purposes of this request, an efficiency was defined as an activity that…

Describes the current status of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), examining roles that school enrollment-based health insurance (SEBHI) programs play in three states and summarizing lessons SEBHI programs can offer SCHIP as states work toward full implementation. SEBHI programs are an important model leading to more…

This annual report describes the Interagency Child Abuse Network (ICAN) Project, a joint venture of the Texas Department of Human Services and the Alamo Area Council of Governments in Bexar County. The goal of the ICAN Project was to establish a network of agencies in the county that could develop a team approach to handling child abuse cases. The…

The report details accomplishments of Texas's Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) program and describes the program's interagency organization and services. The history of early intervention in Texas is traced and the need for early intervention documented. Interagency cooperation among the departments of health, mental health and mental…

Based on a study of how eight states have pursued educational reform, this booklet reviews new issues facing school finance as a result of the recent upsurge of interest in educational improvement. The booklet has four sections. The first section discusses changing state fiscal and political contexts within which reforms are being debated. Section…