Describes the impact of Wisconsin Works (W-2), a work-first welfare reform effort that has created significant welfare enrollment reduction. While critics claimed it would devastate inner cities, poor families are faring better. W-2 built on diversion and incentives, opening up welfare administration to competition. Despite many successes, W-2 has…

Discusses the use of technology in higher education and cites statewide plans in California and Washington that have recently been criticized for an overemphasis on technology. Topics include knowledge as a static commodity and as a dynamic process; new paradigms of knowledge; and where information technology can make a difference. (LRW)

The Missouri Comprehensive Guidance Program Model for K-12 career guidance has two components: (1) structural, which includes program direction, support, resources, philosophy, facilities, staffing, and budget; and (2) programmatic, consisting of guidance curriculum, individual planning, responsive services, and system support. (SK)

Describes the current status of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), examining roles that school enrollment-based health insurance (SEBHI) programs play in three states and summarizing lessons SEBHI programs can offer SCHIP as states work toward full implementation. SEBHI programs are an important model leading to more…

Describes the Principals' Executive Program (PEP), in which North Carolina principals who are in at least their second or third year of practice meet regularly to share their experiences. The PEP curriculum covers typical principal challenges, helps principals make sense of their own experiences in school, and builds networks to reduce isolation.…

Provides details on the instrument development, sample design, data collection, and data analysis procedures for the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) national and state assessments. Includes information necessary to show adherence to testing standards of professional organizations. (SLD)

Former Governor of North Carolina describes his efforts to improve the state's education system, to make it "First in America." Describes five educational goals related thereto: A smart start, excellent teaching, safe schools, high student performance, and business, community, and family support. Discusses implications of new federal…

In this article, the authors discuss program evaluation of intervention studies when the outcome of interest is collected routinely at equally spaced intervals of time. They illustrate concepts using data from the American Stop Smoking Intervention Study, where the outcome is state per capita tobacco consumption. States differ widely in mean…

The Public School Forum of North Carolina examined how to identify and prepare school leaders who can meet the challenges of the 21st century in the state's public schools, and it made recommendations for making the current system stronger and more productive. In searching for comprehensive approaches that could provide leadership preparation…

This report for the College Opportunity Fund (COF) covers the first two fiscal years of the COF program, FY05-06, FY06-07. It describes the implementation efforts of COF program stakeholders, the statistics of participation in the program, and concerns of the program. COF enables qualifying resident students to use higher education tuition…

Teacher shortages have been steadily increasing across the nation, particularly in the field of special education. According to analyses conducted by the Center on Personnel Studies in Special Education (COPSSE), reasons for this include the fact that veteran special education teachers are retiring at a faster rate than new teachers are being…

This article provides a synopsis of how articulation agreements serve postsecondary education institutions and their constituents, provides an overview on the types of agreements, and discusses some of the issues associated with development of these agreements. The following questions frame the narrative: As community colleges grew in number and…

In 1996, the US Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, changing the culture of welfare from a system of dependency to one of personal responsibility and economic self-sufficiency through workplace participation. Through the expert views of case managers and area employers of Wisconsin, this research…

E-portfolios are a rich, flexible tool for teaching, learning, and assessment. They provide institutions with a way to assess how well they are educating their students. However, it is important for institutions to know why e-portfolios are important learning and assessment tool for institutions both now and for the future. Higher education…

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provides several funding opportunities that can assist states in designing, developing, and implementing statewide education longitudinal data systems. These new and enhanced information systems will enable states to track student progress within and across the secondary and postsecondary education…