A commission established by Ohio to reduce the number of first-year college students requiring remedial courses recommended updating and standardizing the college preparatory curriculum, improving teacher education, and enhancing communication between students, parents, and educators at all levels. These recommendations, responses to them, and…

Cutbacks and changes in federal commitment to student financial aid programs are outlined, and examples of alternatives to traditional sources for aid funds are discussed. Examples include institutional investment policies, state programs, community-based funding, a national tax-exempt funding vehicle, and educational savings plans. (MSE)

Drawing on innovative workforce development efforts around the country, Jobs for the Future (JJF) publications, tool kits, and other resources respond to the challenges to advancement for low-wage workers. Occasional papers in the series Advancement for Low-Wage Workers seeks to elevate discussion of this issue within and outside the workforce…

The Wisconsin Forces for Four-Year-Olds Project promotes a collaborative community approach to offering universal access to four-year-old kindergarten services for Wisconsin 4-year-olds. Presented in three major sections, this report offers an overview of a community approach to serving 4-year-olds, summarizes experiences in seven communities…

Despite expansions in children's health insurance programs, rates of uninsurance in California continue to be high. Noting that absenteeism due to poor health is associated with school failure and asserting that schools offer an established framework on which to build a coordinated approach to enrolling children in health insurance programs, this…

This paper discusses the rationale for enhancing the current National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) design by adding a capacity for adaptive testing. Items are tailored to the achievement level of the student in adaptive testing. The report describes a 1993 Ohio field trail of two-stage assessment carried out by the National Opinion…

Noting that childhood lead poisoning is one of the most common preventable pediatric health problems, this report examines lead poisoning as a health problem to which infants and young children are most susceptible and as a housing problem directly related to a shortage of safe, affordable housing. The report details screening rates in Rhode…

The North Carolina State Board of Education developed the ABCs of Public Education in response to the School-Based Management and Accountability Program enacted in 1996. The ABCs focuses on accountability with an emphasis on high educational standards, teaching the basics, and maximum local control. This document reports the results of the…

As part of the ongoing efforts in the state of Alaska to improve the health and well-being of the state's young children, the Alaska Departments of Education and Early Development and Health and Social Services are collaborating to develop a plan to address the critical outcomes and strategies that will support and improve the lives of Alaska's…

The Virginia Department of Correctional Education (DCE) offers programs in basic skills, academic, vocational, special education, and social skills. Postsecondary courses are also offered by community colleges and other postsecondary institutions. The DCE currently operates education programs and related services in 20 major adult education…

The Division of Adult Education in the Arizona Department of Education and the Arizona Adult Literacy and Technology Resource Center contracted with the Morrison Institute for Public Policy to develop an evaluation system for Arizona's adult education program. During phase I, the institute analyzed existing program data on Arizona's adult…

This Library Services and Technology Act Five Year Plan was prepared in compliance with Section 224 State Plans of the Library Services and Technology Act (Public Law 104-208). The goal of this plan is to assist South Carolina libraries in providing a high level of information services to all South Carolinians, regardless of the type of library…

Responding to a call to action by California's state leaders to make reading instruction in the early grades a top priority in the public schools, this booklet discusses California's new K-3 reading program. It begins with a discussion of what prompted this new focus on reading, and then discusses the four major elements of a balanced reading…

This report presents the results of a national forum on the compensation of child care workers which sought to develop strategies to break the link between what parents pay for child care and what child care providers earn. A total of 56 policymakers, researchers, economists, and child care advocates met for 2 days to review current child care…

This publication is comprised of the biographies of eight individuals designated in the past and nine individuals currently designated as outstanding, successful students from Pennsylvania's adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) programs. Each biography is accompanied by a description of the sponsor program. The past outstanding students are…