This project report consists of several parts. The first section describes the project conducted to develop articulation agreements in vocational education between secondary and postsecondary institutions in Virginia. Outlines of the project's phases are provided; these include development of mini-project funding requests, awarding of funding,…

In order to assess the effectiveness of the Career Education Incentive Act (CEIA) of 1977, data were collected from a review of eight states' fiscal 1980 and 1981 annual reports as well as from a study conducted by the American Institutes for Research. According to these data, CEIA monies have indeed been allotted and matched as prescribed by the…

The study of school choice for special education students brings together several important pieces of legislation which are separately the focus of high interest. This paper reviews the features of the three major special education bills (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Acts, the Americans with…

This report pays tribute to the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Rural Systemic Initiatives (RSIs), an investment of more than $140 million to improve mathematics and science education in some of rural America's most impoverished communities. The report illustrates the impact of NSF's RSI program on a national scale. Each RSI planned a project…

Case studies of focus groups as a useful educational research strategy for evaluating noninstructional interventions are described. Focus groups were used to evaluate the effectiveness of programs in the following Virginia school settings: (1) peer counseling programs in 4 high schools with 49 student counselors; (2) gifted programs in 7…

The Virginia State Department of Education funded four, 3-year pilot clinical faculty programs to provide training and compensation to cooperating teachers for the purpose of improving the supervision of student teachers. Two of the programs which received grants were collaborative projects: partners Virginia Tech University and Hollins College…

For the past 4 years, educational institutions in Virginia have been under state mandate to conduct student educational outcomes assessment (SEOA) and to provide periodic reports to the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia. In an effort to examine how SEOA has developed within Virginia's institutions of higher education, a survey was…

A study examined methods for helping students earn their Literacy Passport, mandated for all students by the Virginia Department of Education, prior to entering the ninth grade, beginning in grade 6. Teachers were trained at North Accomack Elementary School (Virginia) in the use and implementation of the writing process and in writing to a prompt.…

A task force was appointed by the Virginia Council of Higher Education to assess the quality of undergraduate career planning and placement and to make recommendations for the improvement of these services and activities. The report of the task force is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 presents a short overview of Virginia's career planning…

A study was conducted to examine federally assisted employment and training programs in the Tidewater, Virginia, area during fiscal year 1977. The General Accounting Office found forty-four programs with similar goals attempting to assist virtually the same people. These were authorized through sixteen separate legislative authorities, creating a…

The report is a one shot followup study of 128 secondary school students who had completed a health careers course at Jefferson High School in Roanoke, Virginia. The response rate was 87 percent. The former students were surveyed by questionnaire to determine the effectiveness of the program and to provide data relevant to program improvement. It…

Three teams of teachers and administrators from three adult basic education programs in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia participated in a 2-year action research project that focused on developing approaches that local programs can use to document the outcomes of student participation in adult education programs. Facilitators helped the teams…

The processes and effects of state performance audits of postsecondary academic programs are illustrated by case studies in Wisconsin and Virginia. Main problems are: the difficulty of establishing legislative intent; lack of appropriate performance indicators, measures, and standards, and issues of timeliness and impact. (MLW)

This paper presents the annual report of the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) for 2008. Eighteen months ago, the National Math and Science Initiative did not exist. Today NMSI is helping lead the country forward in math and science. In just 18 months, NMSI has rolled out the first round of grants and has implemented programs in 14…

Until recently, teen pregnancy and birth rates had declined steadily in the United States in recent years. Despite these declines, the United States has the highest teen birth rate and one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among all industrialized nations. To help young people reduce their risk for pregnancy and STIs,…