In their plans to carry out the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states universally recognize what New Leaders has long known: "leadership changes everything." In fact, every single state has committed to directing some portion of its federal funding into investments in leadership--from teacher leaders to principals and…

Adult education and literacy has never been more valued in Iowa than it is now. Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) empowers individuals to become self-sufficient by providing the basic skills and knowledge necessary to complete a secondary education credential and helps them meet their education and career goals. Nationally, AEL programs serve 1.5…

Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) empowers individuals to become self-sufficient by providing the basic skills and knowledge necessary to complete a secondary education credential and helps them meet their education and career goals. Nationally, AEL programs serve 1.5 million adults who are no longer in school and who lack basic literacy and math…

Federal officials confirmed a week ago that no state is expected to meet the looming deadline for putting a "highly qualified" teacher in every core-subject classroom. Officials said that nine states, along with Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, face losing federal money because of foot-dragging. However, these jurisdictions…

The status of education for gifted elementary grade children in Iowa was exammned by means of a survey instrument focusing on state guidelines for program development, the ideas of experts in gifted education, and program relationship to Public Law 91-230 (The Elementary and Secondary Education Amendments of 1970). Of the 351 school districts…

Since President Obama took office, he has repeatedly called for the United States to significantly improve its postsecondary education performance. One goal in particular has gained wide attention: the President's declaration that in an ever more competitive global marketplace, the United States must once again lead the world in college…

This report provides an overview of selected state initiatives related to the training and supervision of paraeducators serving students with disabilities. The five states highlighted in the document were selected because of the significant work each has done in the area of paraeducators. In all five states, paraeducator initiatives began prior to…

A hearing was held for the purpose of receiving testimony concerning the Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1990. The first panel provided testimony about: (1) the delivery of human services in northern Iowa that are funded through the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and the need for continued block grant funding; (2) CSBG funding of…

This report examines state earned income tax credits (EICs) as a means to assist working poor families to escape poverty. Specifically, the report notes that six states have their own EICs, expressed as a percentage of the federal EIC, with the advantages being that the credit is a reward for work, is a pro-family policy, is efficiently targeted,…

In 2004, nearly 30,000 students were included in the blind or visually impaired (B/VI) category (approximately .04% of the total public school population). This figure, however, only includes children and youth for whom blindness or visual impairment is identified as a primary disability. States indicate that these numbers may actually double or…

Policy briefs are reports on the status of current issues in education from a national perspective; descriptions of actions and agendas in the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) region; and commentaries by experts from their particular point of view; and resources for further information. The focus of this report is technology…

The document reviews Iowa's 3-year state plan for physical education for handicapped students. An introductory section covers legislative action, program development, areas of concern, goals and subgoals, actions to be undertaken, recommendations to the state board of public instruction, and definitions. A second section addresses federal and…

An assessment was made of the degree to which a consistent, integrated, and coordinated effort is being made to provide vocational education services in Iowa. To assess the extent of cooperative relationships between selected human service agencies, five field visits were made to meet with representatives of local agencies and service centers…

This report seeks to provide an objective review of Iowa's educational services to students with attention deficit disorders (ADD), and to present recommendations for maintaining and enhancing these services. State laws and rules and federal legislation and regulations guiding such students' eligibility for special education programs and services…

This report provides a summary of the activities of vocational education programs in Iowa in Fiscal Year 1997, especially in regard to the use of federal funds. The following 11 sections cover the main components of the state's vocational education program: (1) use of Perkins' funds; (2) vocational education goals and performance standards; (3)…