Increasingly, early education, regardless of setting type, is considered to be an educational intervention that sets the stage for children's long-term school success. Accordingly, policymakers are focused on how to develop and support educators who have the skills and capacity to deliver high-quality programming to children. A pressing question…

Extension Master Gardener Volunteers (EMGVs) are recruited and trained to answer questions and diagnose gardening problems for the public. Most states have developed an EMGV Manual for use in the initial training. Thirty-two EMGV Training manuals from across the United States were reviewed for form and content. While many of the manuals have…

National population trends demonstrate a shift in the U.S. ethnic population, similar to changes in the ethnic landscape of U.S. public schools. However, the teaching landscape has not adjusted to align with student demographics. Research highlights the academic and social/emotional benefit for students of color who experience having a teacher of…

Asthma is the leading chronic health condition among children in the United States and a major cause of childhood disability. It also disproportionately affects low-income and racial and ethnic minorities. Although a wide range of interventions have been implemented to improve asthma-related outcomes among socioeconomically disadvantaged and…

In this article, we examined the extant literature regarding college-readiness in math for students entering community colleges. Included in this review are the following topics: (a) the role of community colleges between secondary and postsecondary institutions; (b) national initiatives for college-readiness standards in math; (c) Texas…

U.S. educators and policymakers are concerned about the poor performance of the public schools, particularly schools that serve students from low-income families. Although education is primarily a state function, the federal government also has a longstanding interest in improving education for disadvantaged students, and it targets funding to…

Reviews the 1989 literature on preservation of library materials under the following headings: Journals; General Trends in the Field; State Activities; Planning; Grants and Funding; Environmental Problems; Disasters and Disaster Planning; Paper Quality and Deacidification; Preservation of Paper-Based Media; Brittle Books and Reformatting;…

This process evaluation of the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Project describes the efforts of the project director and 10 regional liaisons to develop a statewide philosophy on prevention and an operational plan for directing resources in Texas toward primary and secondary prevention of child abuse and neglect. A survey was used to gather…

Examined the relationship between state-mandated testing and teachers' beliefs and practices through a review of the literature. Findings suggest that a relationship between state-mandated testing and teachers' beliefs does exist, but testing does not appear to be an exclusive or primary lever for change. (SLD)

This report reviews the dissemination of information on educational programs and information services through a combined literature synthesis focusing on the total dissemination context, configurations, and capacity of major agencies and networks of agencies in the United States. Relevant literature is reviewed as it relates to national and state…

Reviews recent research about program and school evaluation, including studies of qualitative evaluation methods, replicability in program evaluation, assessment of equity in schools, triangulation, site-based management, approaches to evaluating staff development activities, state reform efforts, and educational inequality. (DMM)

The costs and benefits of recent statewide and nationwide educational assessment programs are examined. The purpose of this paper is to present and substantiate some critical lessons and observations concerning: how the costs and benefits of large-scale assessments (LSAs) can be appraised, and the utility of this type of research to policymakers…

In an effort to provide Ontario's Ministry of Community and Social Services with information on program development and operation, Ontario's child care support services (CCSSs) were surveyed. The first section discusses information obtained through a literature review and interviews with key informants. The section describes the range of CCSS…

This report synthesizes some of the most significant research findings on job training programs. It relates them to the decisions faced by states as they implement the Jobs Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Training Programs mandated by the Federal Family Support Act of 1988, which must be structured to meet the needs of recipients of Aid to…

Offers a critical review of eight articles and two journal issues dealing with school indicators of student success or failure; state models for school improvement and accountability; teacher burnout as an outcome of paperwork burdens; the impact of reform efforts; class size; trends in educational evaluation; mastery testing; departmentalization…