The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation has commissioned studies of state academic standards in five core subjects. This is the fourth of these studies, focusing on state standards for mathematics. For this evaluation of mathematics standards, researchers developed nine criteria under the four areas of: clarity, content, reason, and negative qualities.…

The recent overhaul of the federal welfare system gives states new flexibility to set child care policies, develop child care programs, and fund new initiatives. The Child Care Action Campaign (CCAC) conducted an audioconference on July 31, 1997, to examine key elements of new state plans and to take a close look at how one state, Illinois, made…

The Oregon Parent Training Network involves a care training clinic and 21 replication sites serving 510 parents of handicapped and behavior problem children through behaviorally based individualized intervention programs. Parent trainers receive inservice training and followup consultation. Program evaluation results (type of programing, ages…

Noting that reports by the National Research Council and the National Reading Panel show that children learn to read best if they are first provided with an understanding that sounds heard in spoken words correspond to letters seen in print, this issue of the "State Education Leader" newsletter explains that once this skill is acquired,…

The extent to which evaluation and auditing have converged on procedures in recent years and the extent to which they remain different are examined in the five chapters of this special issue. Different emphases, the question of collaboration with the subjects of inquiry, and issues of routinized performance are explored. (SLD)

The "ERIC Review" is published three times a year and announces research results, publications, and new programs relevant to each issue's theme topic. This issue explores computer networking in elementary and secondary schools via two principal articles: "Plugging into the 'Net'" (Michael B. Eisenberg and Donald P. Ely); and…

This bulletin describes types of prepayment and savings plans for financing college education, outlines advantages and disadvantages of these programs, and highlights issues that state and institutional planners and policymakers should consider. A description of existing tuition prepayment plans looks at state plans that typically permit investors…

The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation has commissioned studies of state academic standards in five core subjects. This is the third of these studies, concentrating on geography, the core subject that has been the most neglected in the U.S. academic curriculum. Standards documents were solicited from all the states, and were submitted by 38 states and…

Guidelines for evaluating responses to requests for proposals (RFPs) for state-level educational assessment programs are presented. The guidelines articulate key choice points, options, and considerations by state (and district) testing directors as they solicit services for large-scale assessment from commercial testing companies. Focus is on…

This newsletter issue focuses on the subject of mandatory testing of prospective teachers prior to certification. The following questions are discussed: (1) What are the major types of teacher tests? (2) How prevalent are teacher tests? (3) What are the major teacher tests? (4) What problems do teacher testing programs address? (5) What are the…

This collection of program evaluation studies is designed to help program evaluation staff in state agencies improve their current program education strategies. It alerts staff members to procedures being used in other state agencies, as well as provides further information about the current status of state rehabilitation agency program…

This issue of "Illinois Libraries" is a report of the Illinois White House Conference on Library and Information Services, held in Springfield, November 12-14, 1978. After a brief introduction, the planning process for the conference is described, including committee work, timetables established, the efforts of state agencies, delegate…

This document comprises four issues of a quarterly newsletter about the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and efforts to enroll eligible children in the program. Each issue provides information on related national news events, future events and publications of the Children's Defense Fund, and outreach initiatives in various states. Some…

This issue of "Changing Schools" focuses on character education. The lead article, "Character Education: Finding Ways To Foster Ethical Behavior in Youth" by Diane McIntyre Wilber discusses the character education programs that have spread to nearly every type of school, whether public, private, charter, or faith-based. Since…

This document consists or the six issues of the Family Resource Coalition's newsletter "Connection" published in 1995. These newsletter issues explore matters pertaining to family support and related programs. Featured articles are as follows: (January-February) "Board Approves Long-Range Plan, Reaffirms FRC's [Family Resource…