This annual report outlines the mission, values, and goals of New Zealand's Early Childhood Development board (ECD), established in 1989 to promote the development and provision of high quality, accessible, and culturally appropriate educational and developmental facilities/services for families and young children. The report contains a directory…

This document presents the November 2004 issue of the Council for American Private Education's (CAPE's) monthly newsletter, "Outlook." Articles in this issue include: (1) Government Report Shows Increase in Private Schools and Students; (2) CAPE Board Meets with Secretary Paige; (3) Forum Focuses on Market Education; (4) SAT Scores Go…

The abstract booklet contains 38 one-page abstracts of grants awarded by the Indian Vocational Education Program for 1996-98. The grants were awarded to projects offering job training, technical training, small business training, and job placement services to American Indian and Alaska Native adults and high school students, primarily those living…

This report explains proposed 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). After the proposed new law is presented, a summary of House action is provided along with a section-by-section analysis of the legislation. A statement from the Committee discusses its intention to review, strengthen, and improve IDEA to better educate…

A literacy project was a cooperative effort of the Onondaga County (New York) Public Library, Literacy Volunteers of Greater Syracuse, and Aurora (a private non-profit agency for the deaf) to establish a program to teach deaf adults to read. This report, which describes the project, begins with a section that provides quantitative data. The next…

This report analyzes the effect of President George W. Bush's administration's budget proposal on federal discretionary grant-in-aid programs provided to state and local governments. These programs are projected to be cut by 6.9 percent in fiscal year (FY) 2002 and, by 2011, by 11.2 percent. The report provides data on proposed changes in spending…

A study examining child care services in rural and remote areas conducted focus group interviews and distributed questionnaires to parents living in 15 towns in the Mallee region of Western Victoria (Australia). Barriers to accessing child care in rural areas included limited availability of formal services, costs, stereotypes associated with life…

Maintenance is seen as the new goal of colleges and universities. From the viewpoint of a statewide governing or coordinating agency there are thought to be five major components for facility planning: space inventory and utilization records, space requirement projections, funding, federal programs, and research. (MLW)

Asserts that the new voluntary arts national standards present educators with a important opportunity to improve music and arts education in K-12 schools. Outlines the role of the national standards movement. Discusses the interrelationships among the standards and the undergraduate curriculum, teacher certification, and advanced placement. (CFR)

Summarizes the private health insurance market, focusing on recent trends. Efforts should be made to preserve the current private health insurance system through comprehensive reforms that reduce cost and shift from public programs; control costs by competition, managed care, and global spending limits; and guarantee coverage for all groups. (SLD)

Reviews two documentaries produced by the U.S. government: "The Plow That Broke the Plains" (1936) and "The River" (1937). The first examines soil erosion in the Great Plains; the second considers Mississippi River usage. Narrates storylines and explains initial film criticism. Highlights the films' effectiveness for teaching…

Discusses politics regarding children's and educational issues. Argues that the Bush administration did not advance a clear, sensible agenda and that those on the other side embrace a social spending agenda for children. Suggests that the best government policies should empower parents first. Provides recommendations for the Clinton…

Discusses the Wright State University (Ohio) Library policy directive on customer service, and suggests this document as a model to follow in setting up service standards or guidelines for depository-library services. Draft-depository library public-service guidelines for government information in electronic format are appended. (JAK)

In an effort for schools to obtain Adequate Yearly Progress, the pressure is on to make certain that students are loaded with as much information as possible in order to score well on the high stakes tests. Writing has continued to move down the list of priorities of what is taught because: it is not being tested or is minimally being assessed.…

This document, part of the Clinton Administration's "Reinventing Government" initiative involving a long-term, significant revamping of the federal bureaucracy, presents a comprehensive set of published customer service standards for the United States Government. It presents more than 1,500 standards representing commitments from more…