This analysis of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act focuses on Minnesota's participation in Part H, which creates a discretionary program to assist states in planning, implementing, and developing a statewide system of comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency programs for young (birth to age 3) children and their…

Mississippi loses up to one-third of its potential high school graduates between grades 9 and 12. Developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy for student recruitment are the first and most important steps in organizing an adult basic education program to serve the needs of these individuals. Recruitment requires trying as many methods as…

This document begins with an annotated outline of Public Law 96-272, the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, which encourages states to prevent unnecessary removal of children from their homes and to reunify foster children with their families. The document discusses reasons for the law's enactment, the law's provisions, its…

This report contains presentations and program descriptions given at a conference on physical fitness and older adults. Included are: (1) Keynote Address (Richard S. Schweiker); (2) "Government's Role in Fitness for the Aging" (Pete V. Domenici and Beverly B. Byron); (3) "What Is Aging?" (James Skinner); (4) Medical Implications of Fitness and…

This report questions whether high-tech development is an option for rural counties in the United States by examining the spatial location, industrial composition, growth experience, and environmental factors associated with high-tech industries in such counties. Using a highly detailed database of manufacturing plants and estimates of employment,…

The Maryland Functional Testing Program (MFTP) uses the Rasch model as the statistical framework for the analysis of test items and scores. This paper is designed to assist the reader in developing an understanding of the fit statistics in the Rasch model. Background materials on application of the Rasch model in statistical analysis of the MFTP…

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…

A variety of issues and problems in family day care are surveyed in two brief papers. The first paper notes that the majority of children under the age of 2 years, who are currently being cared for outside the home, are being cared for in family day care settings. One of the attractions of this kind of care is its relatively low cost compared to…

The policy analysis examines application of permanency planning principles (services in family settings that provide continuity in relationships) to services for developmentally disabled children (through age 21) in Colorado. Section I provides an extensive description of permanency planning principles and a discussion of their theoretical and…

The seriousness of the consequences of teenage pregnancy and parenthood results in substantial long-term costs to the public as well as immeasurable personal implications. Education may be one way to combat the deleterious effects. Since attendance at school seems to be the avenue for acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills to become…

The author considers the state of the art in gifted education. Initial sections present opinions of a panel of 150 professionals regarding state administered programs, state discretionary programs, professional development proposals, the nature of learning, exploitation of children, program documentation, and model project proposals. Six issues…

State education agencies are in increasing agreement regarding the basic principles that should underlie state educational assessment programs, though some areas of divergent opinion remain. The agencies generally accept the ideas that comparisons between states will be made, that assessment programs should serve multiple purposes, that meaningful…

Fifty-one surveys designed to gather qualitative information on preschool programs in North Dakota were completed and returned by preschool teachers. Questionnaires focused on five major topics: population served, staff, parent involvement, program curriculum, and teacher and program needs. Results indicate that many teachers served fewer than 10…

An important and widely noticed trend among health professions and occupations in the 1970s has been the increasingly widespread use of credentialing mechanisms. These mechanisms are intended to ensure that health services are provided adequately and with at least a minimum degree of competence. This report is intended to enhance and broaden…

During recent years, there has been increasing interest within both the public and private sectors in the use of alternative work schedules. While a sizable body of literature exists on the use of work scheduling variations among private employers, there is a dearth of information concerning the extent and impact of alternative work schedules in…