Out-of-School Time (OST) programs play a crucial role in child and youth development, serving as a bridge between school, home, and the community. They offer structured environments where young people can engage in meaningful activities, build relationships, and develop essential life skills. OST programs foster personal growth, academic support,…

The chapters presented in this report take stock of much of what has been tried and learned about state policy leadership in bridging the divide between K-12 schools and postsecondary education. They bring together the work and perspectives of the authors and of several sponsoring and collaborating organizations, including: Editorial Projects in…

The New Opportunities Initiative (NOI) is a Portuguese flagship programme to recognise and accredit prior learning (RPL, APL) and to endow low-skilled adults with upper secondary qualifications, which is defined as the minimum entry threshold to the exercise of a full citizenship in a knowledge-rich society. NOI's major achievement has been its…

This book offers a clear-eyed and balanced analysis of for-profit colleges and universities (FPCUs), reviewing their history, business strategies, and management practices; setting them in the context of marketplace conditions, the framework of public policy and government regulations; and viewing them in the light of the public good. Individual…

"Childhood Programs and Practices in the First Decade of Life" presents research findings on the effects of early childhood programs and practices in the first decade of life and their implications for policy development and reform. Leading scholars in the multidisciplinary field of human development and in early childhood learning…

The 15 essays in this book discuss the success and failure of federal anti-poverty programs since the 1960s. Titles (and authors) are: (1) "Introduction" (Sheldon H. Danziger and Daniel H. Weinberg); (2) "Public Spending for the Poor: Trends, Prospects, and Economic Limits" (Gary Burtless); (3) "Antipoverty Policy: Effects on the Poor and the…

Because the expansion of parenting education is likely to continue, it is important to ensure that methods involved in parenting education are effective. This report summarizes research on the effectiveness of parenting education and provides information to help practitioners develop methods of working with parents that are based on sound research…

This collection includes eight reports of findings from a series of employer surveys designed to assess the effectiveness of the Targeted Jobs Tax Credit (TJTC). The following papers are included: "Introduction," by John Bishop; "Utilization of the Targeted Jobs Tax Credit," by John Bishop and Susan Ashbrook; "Multivariate…

This report focuses squarely on strategies for instructional improvement in American high schools. Specifically, this study examines how high schools that perform below average incorporate their state's accountability goals into their own goals, identify their challenges, and search for strategies for instructional improvement. It focuses on how…

This document contains the reports on audits of the one-stop systems in California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Vermont. The overall audit conclusions were as follows: (1) the states have made substantial efforts toward forming new comprehensive workforce investment systems as mandated by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA); (2)…

This yearbook presents a series of articles on Canadian multicultural issues. In the first article, "Panem et Circenses? Ten Years of Multicultural Policy in Canada," Werner Stephan examines criticisms of Canadian multicultural policy and suggests the country has not found a satisfactory answer to what multiculturalism is or should be,…

This book analyzes the responses of five states (Florida, Mississippi, New York, Washington, and Wisconsin) to challenges posed by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to alter state welfare programs and management systems. Using case studies, the book highlights similarities and differences in the states'…

Although the 1996 welfare reform bill reduced welfare rolls, falling caseloads do not necessarily mean a better standard of living for families. This book examines the evidence and evaluates whether welfare reform has met one of its chief goals--improving the well-being of the nation's poor children. The chapters of the book are as follows: (1)…

A summary of an in-depth study of the training component of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), this volume consists of a series of findings and recommendations emerging from a national survey of 476 CETA prime sponsors. It provides a comprehensive review of CETA training based on the analysis of longitudinal data on the quality,…

This book documents the range of training programs that are being established by employers and unions; assesses porgram functioning and results; and offers insights for practitioners, scholars, and policy makers. An introduction (Ferman et al.) provides a general framework for thinking about union-management training programs and presents an…