WorkFirst is Washington State's welfare-to-work program. The program's mission is to help citizens get "a job, a better job, a better life." Inaugurated in 1996, it is based on the 1996 federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) welfare reform legislation. As part of this new program, the community and technical college system…

The purpose of this study was to determine the most effective way to prepare teacher candidates to work with English learners and students with disabilities by surveying teacher candidate perceptions regarding their preparation. A forty-item instrument was developed probing teacher candidates? perceptions of their level of preparation for working…

The 2001 Australian national Survey of Employer Views on Vocational Education and Training (VET) was similar to earlier studies but included more questions about employers' views about recent VET graduate employees. The survey was a sample survey and provides estimates of the results that would be found had all employers in Australia been…

Achieve was asked by the Washington State Academic Achievement and Accountability Commission, Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction, and the Partnership for Learning to conduct a study of the 10th grade Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). The intent of the study was to compare the content, rigor and passing scores on…

This report presents provincial/territorial and national data on child care in Canada. Data collection methods included document examination for nation-wide statistics, and questionnaires sent to each provincial/territorial child care office, followed by telephone interviews with an official from each jurisdiction to update or clarify data. The…

The Extended School Year Program of the Detroit (Michigan) public schools was designed to demonstrate that lengthening the school year would produce corresponding changes in student achievement as measured by the Michigan Educational Assessment Program and the Metropolitan Achievement Test. The Extended School Year was a 3-year summer program…

"CONNECTIONS: The New Hampshire Reading Project," a project of the New Hampshire State Library (Concord), involved coalition building, public awareness, training, reading and discussion, and evaluation. The project served a community of over 200,000 people, and targeted students and tutors of library literacy programs and New Hampshire…

The fourth statewide administration of Minnesota's Basic Standards Tests in Reading and Mathematics took place in the spring of 1999. The first administration of the statewide Test of Written Composition for 10th graders also took place in 1999. Beginning with the class of 2000, students are required to pass these tests by the time they complete…

This report presents information on infants and toddlers (ages birth to three) with delaying or disabling conditions, who were enrolled in Washington State public services on December 1, 1997, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part H. Major findings included: (1) there was a total enrollment of 5,007 infants and toddlers (2.1…

Participation in sport or fitness activities in Great Britain was examined through a survey of more than 6,000 adults throughout Great Britain. As of April 2001, 35% of adults surveyed were currently participating in sport or fitness activities. Those most likely to participate in sport or fitness activities were male, young, in high social…

This is a report on the institutional effectiveness assessment of Santa Barbara Community College (SBCC) (California) for the 2000-01 fiscal year. The report focuses on five main topics: student access, student success, human resources, fiscal resources, and physical resources. Report highlights include: (1) SBCC has shown an increase in student…

Volume II contains six appendices to Volume I, including short summaries of the 18 schools that were studied. Appendices included in this report are: (1) Evaluation Methodology; (2) Promising Reform Strategies; (3) Descriptions of the Research-Based Methods or Strategies Being Used; (4) Short Summaries of 18 Comprehensive School Reform…

This Kids Count report examines statewide trends and county data on the well-being of Nebraska's children. Section 1 contains a commentary on juvenile justice in Nebraska. Section 2, the bulk of this statistical report, presents findings on indicators of well-being in eight areas: (1) child abuse and neglect/domestic violence (investigated and…

This Kids Count data book examines statewide trends in the well-being of Arkansas children. The statistical portrait is based on the following areas of childrens well-being: demographics; childrens living situations; family support; risks to children; resources for children; and public school environment. The specific indicators include: (1) child…

This report provides an overview of West Virginia's 16 public colleges and universities, focusing on developments at individual institutions and in the state as a whole. It provides a description of each institution, lists its missions and goals, and provides data on enrollment and degree trends from 1988 to 1994. The report also provides overall…