Access to a quality, affordable college education remains a cornerstone of American economic and social development. Individuals from all backgrounds need the knowledge and skills afforded by higher education to compete in an increasingly integrated--and competitive--global economy. Greater educational attainment correlates with many positive…

This paper briefly defines parent involvement in education, outlines several factors that are fueling new state interest in programs to strengthen families, describes programmatic initiatives in several states, and examines some of the issues states have faced in their efforts to craft effective community-based programs that are responsive to…

Policy questions related to outcome assessment, such as determining the critical outcomes of schooling and how indicators can be measured, are analyzed. State and local efforts in special education outcome assessment are described, and policy considerations for designing an outcome system that includes students with disabilities are examined. (JDD)

This report focuses on the formulation and implementation of family support and education policies in four states, all of which have established programs that provide the core services of parenting education, early childhood development activities, parent support groups, and information about other community agencies. The initiatives are…

This paper draws on the experience of various states in its discussion of questions, issues, and decisions that policymakers face as they plan their states' family support initiatives. The discussion is organized into three parts that correspond roughly with the stages of policy formation, program development, and program implementation and…

A study was designed to investigate ways in which schools are responding to new opportunities to participate more fully in the delivery of high quality, family-responsive early childhood programs. Phase One of the study aims to develop a comprehensive overview of the status of child care and early childhood education for kindergarten and younger…

This document describes four states' approaches to increasing the involvement of families in schools. It discusses the strategies used by the states to: (1) enhance teachers' capacity to work with families; (2) encourage local school districts to develop family involvement programs; (3) encourage efforts that use family involvement as a component…

For the past 18 years, Federal policy for adult literacy has been contained principally in the Adult Education Act of 1966 and in the administration of the program it supports. When this Act was passed, few programs for adult literacy existed in the states; thus, the Act authorized 90 percent Federal funding in order to encourage states to develop…

This case study describes the vocational education system and job training programs, especially those funded through the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act, in an unnamed metropolitan area of California. The data were collected as part of another larger national study of state and local response to the Perkins Act. Information was collected…

This booklet provides guidelines for developing policy concerning the implementation of equal vocational education opportunities for women in Colorado. It begins with some introductory information pertaining to the problems of sex bias in vocational education. Next, a state plan for eliminating sex bias and sex-role stereotyping is presented. Then…

This booklet, the second in a series of four, was designed by the Task Force on Career Education as a handbook for state policy makers who are responsible for legislating the full implementation of career education. The content is presented in seven sections. The first on legislative leadership covers the goals and objectives of career education…

This report surveys the vocational education system, work experience programs, and job training programs for youths in Chicago. The report is organized in five sections. It begins with a brief review of the socioeconomic context that affects youth employment in the city of Chicago. Section 2 examines vocational training in the Chicago public…

The aging of New York State's population poses both a challenge and an opportunity for the major institutions of society. The challenge facing educators is to develop a comprehensive strategy to mobilize the capacity of the educational system to address the multiple needs of an aging population in the context of existing social and economic…

This report of the activities of the National Advisory Council on Extension and Continuing Education during 1976 focuses on current information about (1) the nature and extent of the need for federal continuing education programs; (2) the appropriateness of the existing responses in light of the needs identified; and (3) the Council's…

This Congressional report contains the testimony provided at the first five days of hearings pertaining to the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act of 1965. The focus of the hearings was on amending those portions of the act dealing with: (1) grants for State and community programs on aging (Title III); (2) training, research, and…