This report is the result of a conference that examined major civil rights issues facing people who are blind and visually impaired in Illinois and is intended to inform the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights concerning issues of equal protection. The introductory chapter reviews leading types and causes of blindness and visual impairment, incidence…

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 presents states with new opportunities and flexibility to design programs for teen parents. This report summarizes how welfare reform has changed the environment for teen parents dependent on welfare. The report presents research findings on the costs of supporting teen…

This document contains the oral and written statements of witnesses who testified at a hearing on the Reemployment and Retraining Act of 1994 and the WARN [Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification] Amendments Act. Witnesses included Senator Howard Metzenbaum of Ohio, several union and public employment program officials from several states,…

The purpose of this document is to help states and districts meet the challenges posed by the 1994 reauthorization of Title I. The goal in developing this document was to produce a practical guide for states and districts to use in developing the systems they were creating under the Title I law. Following an introduction to Title I, chapter 2…

This policy brief identifies and describes the provisions of the proposed regulation describing the responsibilities of a state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency to design and operate the state VR program as an integral component of the statewide workforce investment system, as envisioned by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA). The…

In 1993, Project FORUM issued a report (Ahearn, 1993) that provided information on resources available to states and districts in accessing Medicaid reimbursements for services for students with disabilities, a relatively new source of funding at that time. It is now over 10 years since Medicaid funds were approved for use for special education…

New York State's attempt to reduce welfare expenditures by collecting the child support payments of defaulting parents reinforces federal incentives containing penalties for localities operating ineffective collection programs. The state's program may serve as a model for the more effective implementation of legislation in other jurisdictions.…

The article describes Louisiana's approach to implementing Individualized Family Service Plans, including four model formats developed by early intervention service providers and families of young children with disabilities. Formats differ in the way the required elements are expressed, allowing application to the unique characteristics of…

In U.S. K-12 public education, incentive pay for educators remains firmly fixed as a high-interest policy topic and has recently become a popular reform initiative in many school systems. The Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF), created in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Education, is at the forefront of this policy movement and has provided hundreds of…

In 2002, Tennessee passed its first Public Charter School legislation. Four schools were successful in gaining approval to begin operating in the 2003-2004 academic year. The second cohort of three charter schools began operation during the 2004-2005 academic year, with the third cohort of five schools starting-up during the 2005-2006 academic…

In recent years, parents have benefited from a significant expansion of educational options for their children. Parents have many more opportunities than just a few years ago to choose from an array of public school options, including charter, virtual, and magnet schools. Expanding educational options for parents is one of the hallmarks of the…

The relationships between ratings on the Idaho Alternate Assessment (IAA) for 116 students with significant disabilities and corresponding ratings for the same students on two norm-referenced teacher rating scales were examined to gain evidence about the validity of resulting IAA scores. To contextualize these findings, another group of 54…

In 1991, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) authorized, under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), a specific grants program. The State Systems for Transitions Services for Youth with Disabilities Program made available competitive 5-year grants to individual states for establishing responsive state…

This document reports the oral and written testimony of witnesses who testified at oversight hearings on vocational education in the United States. The document also includes statements from other sources not present at the hearings. The testimony includes statements from U.S. Senators and Representatives, business leaders, and national and local…

This paper is concerned with the recent developments in federal and state legislation regarding cable franchises and their effect on the establishment of a statewide distance learning network. It begins with an overview of recent legislation regarding cable regulations and presents issues regarding distance education. These include linking cable…