The Associated Medical Schools of New York consortium has established a multifaceted, statewide effort aimed at increasing the pool of qualified minority applicants. The programs include academic enrichment for precollege and college students, recruitment conferences, and a program to attract minority students to residency training in New York.…

Describes the lack of education of Black prison inmates. Discusses relative benefits and costs of educational programs to inmates and citizens. Provides seven examples of successful state-run programs and comments on the future possibilities for laws requiring educational programs for all inmates. (JS)

Several community projects of the Centers for Disease Control's Disabilities Prevention Program are described. The projects, which are coordinated at the state level, attempt to stimulate local involvement in disability prevention and to evaluate prevention needs and preventive interventions. (Author/JDD)

A Florida mandate for teachers to receive training in English for Speakers of Other Languages led to development by a consortium of multicultural telecourses, facilitator study guides, and a university credit course. Teacher resistance to the mandate was lowered by classroom-centered, interactive distance learning. (SK)

Discussion of prepaid college tuition plans looks at their strengths and weaknesses and provides an analysis to illustrate their use as an alternative in funding a child's future education. It is noted that, although some financial planners argue against them, they can offer significant savings by locking in tuition rates. (MSE)

The Developmental Disabilities Act provides funds to State Developmental Disabilities Councils to formulate comprehensive systems of services, supports, and other assistance. The act also supports protection and advocacy systems to protect legal rights, university-affiliated programs to provide preservice preparation, and national initiatives to…

Summarizes the beginnings of family support programs for developmentally disabled children and their families; their present workings; and the direction they should be going. (BB)

California's 2+2+2 articulation agreements assure students a smooth transition from high school tech prep to community college courses that transfer to baccalaureate programs at state universities. California Articulation Numbers identify community college and university courses with similar content and transferable credits. (SK)

Describes the development, beginning in 1988, of Vermont's portfolio-based writing assessment program, pointing out the inevitable tension in assessment programs between the need for measurement and a wish for professional development that leads to improved instruction. (SR)

Describes ILLINET Online, a resource sharing network for the state of Illinois. The constituency of the network, recent usage statistics relating to interlibrary loan requests, and the development of recent technological changes involving standards for networks are discussed; and future plans are outlined. (LRW)

Includes "Community Education (CE) Development in the States" (Clark, Zemlo); "State of the States" (Clark, Zemlo); "In Support of State-Level CE Development" (Decker, Romney); "CE in Florida" (Hanley, Robinson); ""CE in Kentucky" (Christenson, Whitus); "CE in Minnesota" (Kerns,…

Describes development of the U.S. service-learning movement: early roots; American Youth Foundation and National Youth Leadership Council leadership camps for youth, which combined adventure, performing arts, and social justice themes; the campaign to implement an integrated statewide youth-service model in Minnesota; creation of AmeriCorps; and…

Narrates an interview with Kenneth Ashworth, the recently retired commissioner of higher education in Texas, regarding his role in shaping the state's developmental-education programs. States that Ashworth was instrumental in starting the Texas Academic Skills Program, a statewide, basic-skills assessment program. Addresses such issues as funding…

Suggests that standards-based reform is doomed to fail unless states use their newly established, more rigorous standards to develop interventions that provide teachers with the skills and knowledge required to teach to the higher standards and students with additional opportunities to achieve the higher standards. (Author/SLD)

Describes the local political action and advocacy efforts of members of the National Network for Early Language Learning in promoting foreign language education, focusing on the efforts of Alabama, Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, and Vermont. Also lists recipients of state exemplary political action and advocacy awards. (SM)