This paper proposes a new bipartisan initiative to strengthen the effectiveness of U.S. social programs by focusing funds within each program on research-proven projects, practices, and strategies ("interventions"). The proposal seeks neither an increase nor decrease in overall program funding; rather, its central aim is to maximize the…

Title I of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), requires states to establish standards, assessments, and accountability systems to ensure that every child achieves proficiency in reading and mathematics by the year 2014. This report describes exploratory analyses of the effects…

This paper presents part I of the "Massachusetts Primer on Special Education and Charter Schools." It provides an explanation of a charter school's legal status within the Massachusetts public education system and a synopsis of federal laws that are most relevant to special education in charter schools. The information is intended for…

This paper begins with an overview of the location and types of nursery schools reported to be operating in Texas between 1934 and 1943. The author reports on the results of the analysis of the photographs used in this study. The analysis is supported and contextualized by the use of references from federal documents and other publications…

Almost 30,000 schools in the United States failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in the 2007-2008 school year. For states with comparable data for the 2006-2007 school year, the number of such schools increased by 28%. Half those schools missed their achievement goals for two or more years, putting…

Although the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act refers to "low performing" schools as "in need of improvement," no one outside of the U.S. Department of Education uses that phrase. The term most commonly used is "failing." NCLB offers a single, explicit definition of a failing school: one that fails to make adequate…

School leaders desperate for strategies that will improve student learning have often opted to embrace strategies that they have observed being used successfully in other districts. Sometimes, this works; sometimes, it does not. This article presents two vignettes about districts that made similar decisions to implement learning walks. The…

Meeting highlights and a background briefing report are provided from a policy seminar, one in a series of monthly staff seminars titled "Family Centered Social Policy: The Emerging Agenda." The highlights summarize remarks by three panelists. Alan Hershey describes the Teenage Parent Demonstration in New Jersey and Illinois and…

These 24 essays look at what is wrong with federal employment training efforts and offer ideas for building a more effective system. A preface describes "The Governance of Federal Employment and Training Efforts" (Halperin). An "Introduction" (Zuckerman) discusses the sources of these essays that explore the implications of…

A project studied use of state unemployment insurance (UI) wage-record data for Program Year 1986 to assess the effectiveness of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs. Eleven of 27 interested states were selected by ability to meet data requirements. These issues associated with the use of UI data as an assessment tool were explored:…

In its fifth and final year of federal funding, the Vocational and High School Equivalency Program at New York's Park West High School served 254 students in grades 9-12. The program's purpose was to help students of limited English proficiency develop English language skills while receiving occupational training after school. The transitional…

This document presents one in a series of twenty-three case studies derived from in-depth interviews using a sampling of former participants in the Mountain-Plains program, a residential, family-based education program developed to improve the economic potential and lifestyle of selected student families in a six-state area. Each case study…

This document presents one in a series of twenty-three case studies derived from in-depth interviews using a sampling of former participants in the Mountain-Plains program, a residential, family-based education program developed to improve the economic potential and lifestyle of selected student families in a six-state area. Each case study…

This conference report is one of three volumes being issued by the Laboratory for Community Programming at the conclusion of its experimental program. This third volume is a comprehensive report on the three-year Laboratory project, including descriptions of student field work experiences during the Laboratory's definitive last year. This…

Project Even Start is an intergenerational literacy project that promotes adult literacy, trains parents to support the educational growth of their children, and prepares children for school. The program is designed to facilitate joint participation by parents and children. It includes home-based instruction and child care, and it is integrated…