The authors prepared this report after exploring programs using a 90-day cycle process borrowed from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). The IHI 90-day cycle scans activity in the field as a "quick way to research innovative ideas and assess their potential for advancing quality improvement". The goal was to "get under…

More than 2 million people are incarcerated in the United States, and around 700,000 are released from prison each year. Those who are released face daunting obstacles as they seek to reenter their communities, and rates of recidivism are high. Many experts believe that stable employment is critical to a successful transition from prison to the…

Certificates are recognition of completion of a course of study based on a specific field, usually associated with a limited set of occupations. Certificates differ from other kinds of labor market credentials such as industry-based certifications and licenses, which typically involve passing an examination to prove a specific competency,…

In late 2007, Jobs for the Future (JFF), working with the Delta Project on Postsecondary Costs, Productivity and Accountability, launched "Investing in Student Success", a one-year pilot program. The pilot, conceived of as part of the "Making Opportunity Affordable" initiative and funded by Walmart Foundation and Lumina Foundation for Education,…

Indiana legislators are currently debating the merits of a proposal to adopt a statewide tuition scholarship tax credit program. The proposed program would make available $5 million in tax credits that businesses and individuals could claim by making donations to non-profit Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). SGO donations would be matched…

This report describes work using nationally representative 2005 data from the School Nutrition Dietary Assessment-III (SNDA-III) study to develop a simulation model to predict the potential implications of changes in policies or practices related to school meals and school food environments. The model focuses on three domains of outcomes: (1) the…

Funders and program planners want to know: What does it cost to operate a high-quality after-school or summer program? This study answers that question, discovering that there is no "right" number. Cost varies substantially, depending on the characteristics of the participants, the goals of the program, who operates it and where it is located.…

The document contains the data files created by a Rand Corporation study on the cost of special education based on information from a 1977-78 national survey of 50 local education agencies in 14 states. The project objective is to improve decisionmaking on special education programing and finance by providing information on the services provided…

This article proposes a methodology for a cost-benefit analysis of quality circles. The proposed system is based on the accountability principle, and it is conducted at three levels: project, circles, and the entire quality circle system. Flowcharts are included. (Author/CT)

Estimates participation in different types of postcompulsory education and training programs in the United States, compares the costs of and funding for these activities, and considers differences in the attributes of participants among programs. (Author/GC)

The California State Board of Education authorized the study to document the overall costs of special education due process fair hearings to all parties--the parents, local education agencies, and the state. The study also analyzed the factors that enter into the costs of hearings, and some conclusions were drawn and recommendations made for…

The document reports a study for the California State Department of Education to provide clarification of existing studies and reports on the cost of special education in California. Chapter 1 covers the background of the study, purpose and plan, study design (which included review of existing cost reports and studies and structured interviews…

The Response to Educational Needs Project (RENP) is a compensatory education program being carried out in Washington, D.C. This document consists primarily of statistical and program description data on the effects of RENP in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). The data include: (1) a summary of RENP costs; (2) statistical information…

Two types of reports containing program cost information that can meet a variety of administrative needs are available--descriptive and comparative. The descriptive reports show program cost and Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) revenue information. The comparative reports show program costs as percentages of revenues, as percentages of…

This study of public parks and recreation agencies throughout the United States was undertaken to develop a mathematical pricing formula sensitive to local spending abilities in order to determine if a per capita pricing structure would be possible. Four hundred and seventy public parks and recreation agencies responded to a survey of fees and…