This document explains how agencies serving recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) can use videoconferencing as a tool for welfare and work force reform. The document begins with a brief overview of how videoconferencing and other communications technologies can be used in designing and delivering welfare and work force…

The authors present findings from an initial information gathering and analysis of a larger Office of Special Education Programs model demonstration project, "Connections to Success." The article is based on an analysis of a teacher survey conducted at four schools in the project's partner district focused on perceived problems, sources of stress,…

Meeting highlights and a background briefing report are provided from a policy seminar, one in a series of monthly staff seminars titled "Family Centered Social Policy: The Emerging Agenda." The highlights summarize remarks by three panelists. Alan Hershey describes the Teenage Parent Demonstration in New Jersey and Illinois and…

Collected here are symposium reports addressing the dissemination of theory and research to educational practitioners, specifically considering the National Diffusion Network (NDN) as an example of effective information delivery. An introductory theoretical review by C. M. Achilles of the state-of-the-art in dissemination poses questions for…

This volume is one of the products of the "knowledge development" effort implemented under the mandate of the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act (YEDPA) of 1977. Under YEDPA's discretionary authority there have been a number of efforts to better measure the impact of services that facilitate the transition of youth from…

This study explores current education, training, and employment issues and opportunities for rural youth in Australia, and suggests ways in which relevant education, training, and employment options and prospects can be generated for rural youth. Specifically, this study documents the ways that economic and social changes in rural communities have…

A study examined how further education (FE) colleges and Local Education Authority adult education services contribute to neighborhood renewal (NR) in deprived areas and how their strategic role might develop. The National Strategy for Neighborhood Renewal was tackling deprivation in 88 of England's poorest communities by promoting the development…

This paper discusses the role of public policy in the skills development system of the United States. It further examines the implications of that policy for the skill development and career progression of black workers. The paper describes the current "system" for skills development as a two-tiered system composed of (1) the "first…

As part of a 3-year study to identify emerging issues and trends in technology for special education, this paper addresses the complex issues of school reform and its relationship to educational technology. School restructuring is discussed in terms of instructional improvement, relationship to the Regular Education Initiative, and the increased…

There is no inherent conflict between bilingual education and desegregation; only lack of creativity and lack of commitment deter implementation of bilingual programs in racially balanced schools. A review of literature related to the Brown v. Board of Education and Lau v. Nichols decisions revealed that bilingual education and school…

The federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) has launched a five-year initiative that will support state efforts to build comprehensive early childhood service systems. This initiative--the State Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (SECCS) Initiative--provides planning and implementation grants to the state and territory Maternal and…

This report presents innovative vocational training (VT) initiatives to improve integration of low-skilled workers into lifelong learning and the labor market. Chapter 1 describes study structure and methodology. Chapter 2 addresses the theoretical basis for observing innovations. It analyzes the definition and significance of innovation in system…

This document explores selected issues related to connecting welfare reform initiatives and the literacy movement and provides basic information about literacy education and its economic impact. Literacy is defined, and similarities and differences between adult basic education, adult secondary education, and English-as-a-Second-Language programs…

The project Sharing and Celebrating Exemplary and Promising Programs annually identifies outstanding career and technical education (CTE) programs in secondary and postsecondary settings. The programs were evaluated by using criteria based on programs' quality, educational significance, effectiveness, and replicability. Programs and teachers also…

Career academies are schools within schools that link students with peers, teachers, and community partners in a disciplined environment, thereby fostering academic success and mental and emotional health. The career academy concept includes the following three key elements: (1) small learning communities; (2) a college preparatory curriculum with…