New Mexico is home to nearly 70,000 infants and toddlers. New Mexico families are the state's strongest asset, yet current policies aren't meeting their needs. Children's growth and development are shaped by early life experiences. Good health, secure and stable families, and positive early learning environments foster children's physical,…

The Newark Opportunity Youth Network (NOYN) contracted with the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the youth workforce development system within the state. The study documents how the youth workforce system developed in New Jersey since the federal…

This brief examines how California is aligning education and training opportunities for people who are currently or formerly incarcerated. It is the first report in our series "Reconnecting Justice in the States," which will explore coordinated justice, education, and workforce policy and practice at the state level. It is part of…

As numerous studies from 1906 on have confirmed, children lose ground in learning if they lack opportunities for building skills over the summer. Nonetheless, summer learning loss comes up but rarely in the national discussion of education reform. By the end of summer, students perform on average one month behind where they left off in the spring.…

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, a significant amount of funding has been targeted to improve state and local education systems. The Race to the Top Fund in particular is providing $4.35 billion in competitive grants for states. The U.S. Department of Education designated two phases for the Race to the Top grant…

California school districts are being expected to "do more with less." They face critical and competing pressures to improve academic achievement while remaining fiscally solvent in a time of increasing budgetary pressures. This report examines the financial circumstances of California's school districts and the actions they have been…

The Oregon Statewide Report Card is an annual publication required by law (ORS 329.115), which reports on the state of public schools and their progress towards the goals of the Oregon Educational Act for the 21st Century. The purpose of the Oregon Report Card is to monitor trends among school districts and Oregon's progress toward achieving the…

State governments wield significant authority in the management of public schools. As a nexus for federal funding, state funding, and regulatory authority, states have both the legal and financial power to help drive school change. The "No Child Left Behind Act" has required each state to create a system of standards-based assessment and…

Reviewed are the implications for local Wisconsin school district of state legislation mandating the education of all handicapped children (Chapter 89). (CL)

Problems and practices in financing and managing research equipment are assessed, based on visits to 23 college, government, and industry laboratories and meetings with over 500 scientists, and college, government, and industry representatives. The following concerns are addressed: possible changes in federal/state laws, regulations, or policies…

This report presents an overview defining what constitutes a charter school and how the existing 22 charter schools in Indiana are funded. 36 charter schools have been approved in Indiana as of Spring 2005. Of these, 22 schools have already begun operating, 10 are slated to open in the coming years, 2 have been closed down before they opened, and…

This is a compendium of information on bilingual education from the state education agencies of the fifty states and seven territories of the United States. Entries are listed alphabetically by state; the seven territories are listed alphabetically following the states. Each entry includes the name of the state or territory; the name, address, and…

This guide provides a listing of major resources and means of access in the area of career education. In section 1, "Background of Career Education," state and federal laws concerning Kentucky career education are discussed, state and federal advisory councils are examined, and an abstract of the Kentucky state plan for career education…

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is the largest Federal aid to education program. Public Law 89-10 did not limit the kinds of services which could be provided with Title I funds. It is important that parents understand what Title I is all about. As members of the advisory council and even as taxpayers, they must see…

In recent years, government has recognized that programs like Head Start are cost-effective investments that improve the school readiness of disadvantaged children. Over the last decade, states have been leaders in supporting services to infants and toddlers and their families. Examples of such initiatives include Hawaii's Healthy Start program,…