Governor Booth Gardner established the Governor's Task Force on Hunger in 1986 and asked its members to study the problem of hunger in Washington State over a 2-year period. The task force conducted its work through three main committees: one to survey the nature and extent of hunger in the state, one to uncover major causes of hunger, and one to…

This report from the Alaska Pregnancy and Parenthood Task Force to the Alaska State Legislature presents the group's mission statement, their goals and objectives, and resulting recommendations on pregnancy prevention and prenatal and parenting services. The bulk of the report proposes and discusses the following recommendations: (1) fund a peer…

Community-based programs in the juvenile justice system present a promising alternative to the disappointing results achieved by large institutional facilities. A diverse group of states has found that intensive, individualized services provided in small, family-like residential settings or in the juvenile's own home yield comparable or reduced…

This report presents highlights of a seminar which focused on solutions emerging at the local and state level to keeping troubled families together. Comments by these panelists are summarized: Elizabeth Cole, a consultant to many family preservation projects; Kristine Nelson, a researcher on the social work faculty of the University of Iowa; Bill…

The Child Support Enforcement Amendments of 1984 require that every state not qualifying for a waiver appoint a commission to look at the success of the state's child support enforcement program in securing support and parental involvement for all children needing such services, whether they were eligible for public assistance or not. This…

This report and briefing book aim to inform Californians about the condition of the state's children in 1989. An initial set of anecdotes about Californian children and parents is followed by an overview, which discusses characteristics of the state's children, accountability in regards to spending on children and measuring their success, reasons…

This report describes family violence and sexual assault and the specific nature and extent of the problem in Wyoming as illustrated by data obtained from statewide surveys and studies. Past efforts to address the problem are presented in an historical overview. Program operations are described, including the areas of safe houses, support groups,…

The living and working conditions of migrant farmworkers on the Eastern Shore of Virginia have been described as deplorable and possibly the worst in the nation. At the same time, growers in this region have complained of duplication, even triplication, of federal and state regulations designed to improve living and working conditions of these…

The Delaware Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights examined housing, employment, and health among the state's more than 1,500 migrants. Committee findings indicated: (1) there is no accurate count of migrants in the state or migrants in need of housing on a seasonal basis; (2) Delaware has pursued an aggressive policy…

These combined proceedings summarize presentations of two conference programs designed to address state-mandated student achievement issues. Dr. Terrel Bell delivered the keynote speech at a teleconference focusing on a broad perspective of competency testing. He discussed testing problems, as well as positive aspects such as comparison, diagnosis…

In 1987, the Governor of Alaska's Interim Commission on Children and Youth was given two tasks: (1) to develop a plan for a first-class child care system for working parents statewide that is workable, fair and sensibly integrates with the public schools; and (2) to produce a comprehensive plan to combat the problems facing Alaskans so they are…

New York state high school principals and superintendents were surveyed regarding their evaluations of the statewide minimum competency testing program for high school graduation. Program data were also supplied by the principals. It was concluded that: (1) 85 percent of eleventh grade students had completed the basic competency test graduation…

This report offers task force recommendations to provide greater support and understanding for adolescents and young adults. The Commission report and recommendations focus on the issues of teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, juvenile delinquency, dropping out of school, and suicide. Part 1, "Growing Up in Texas," begins with an…

A 1990 U.S. Department of Labor strike force found child labor violations in more than 1,760 of 3,776 businesses investigated. Data from the American Youth Work Center, the National Consumers League, and the New York State Department of Labor also indicate increased numbers of child labor violations. Child labor has a long history in the United…

Legal issues of minimum competency testing derive from federal and state constitutional, statutory, and regulatory provisions, and from common law. Constitutional provisions for equal protection, due process, and freedom of belief and privacy, are primarily federal; education provisions are state mandated. Only four court cases have directly…