In the context of a tight labor market with more jobs than workers to fill openings, and as young people increasingly seek alternatives to college, apprenticeships have become more important than ever. While the "earn and learn" model of apprenticeship seems to be the obvious choice to address labor market needs, it remains underutilized…

This study examines the community-wide effects of investments in two early childhood initiatives in North Carolina (Smart Start and More at Four) on the likelihood of a student being placed into special education. We take advantage of variation across North Carolina counties and years in the timing of the introduction and funding levels of the two…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify significant external and internal challenges that state organization leaders face in promoting science-based teen pregnancy prevention programs within their states. The state organization administrators were chosen because their organizations were funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control…

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) recognizes the current challenges faced by states and schools relative to the provision of high-quality intervener services for children who are deaf-blind. To respond to these challenges, OSEP asked the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) to conduct an…

North Carolina's Community-Based Alternatives (CBA) program serves more than 44,000 youths each year. To obtain local criminal officials' and juvenile justice program practitioners' reactions concerning the operation of the CBA, information was gathered from 107 questionnaires completed by local social service, school, and juvenile court…

"Moving the Needle on Poverty" is designed to provide Colorado leaders with an up-to-date picture of the diverse strategies that states across the nation are pursuing to lift individuals, families, and communities out of poverty. As the report indicates, many states are choosing to set specific and measurable goals for poverty reduction,…

This report provides an overview of selected state strategies for addressing personnel shortages in the area of visual impairments. Innovative or alternative routes to certification in six states (Texas, Hawaii, Iowa, North Carolina, Utah, and West Virginia) are profiled to give specific examples of state approaches to personnel preparation and…

The conclusion of the survey is that North Carolina libraries do not have sufficient resources, physical facilities or staff to provide adequate library service for the state. The survey covers the present and potential roles of the State Library, the State Department of Archives and History, public libraries, university libraries, senior and…

To complement the information gathered on middle school and high school literacy initiatives as reported in "Middle and High School Literacy across the Curriculum" (Task 1.2 Fast Response Project), the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast (REL-SE) staff conducted a scan of the six southeast states to gather the following information…

This implementation plan for educational programs for young handicapped children was developed in response to the request of the North Carolina General Assembly and involved a survey of the state's 100 counties (of which 75 responded). Information is presented for the following areas: philosophy of serving young children with handicapping…

In North Carolina, Alternative Learning Programs (ALP) is a designation applied to a variety of activities, locations, and student characteristics. This report focuses on descriptive information about the state's ALP efforts, teachers, and the students they serve. Two hundred and fifteen schools and programs met the evaluation criteria as ALPs.…

The Performance-Based Accountability Program was enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1989 as part of the School Improvement and Accountability Act. This report addresses five components of the program and includes appendixes that provide detailed data for several of the components. The Flexible Funding Provision is made for the…

This collection of papers from North Carolina's state and regional Conferences on Library and Information Services, which were held over a 6-month period in 1990-1991, includes copies of: (1) the agenda of the state conference (Raleigh, February 6, 1991); (2) a list of the delegates to the national White House Conference on Library and Information…

This study examines the North Carolina program for the academically gifted. Students (N=142), parents (N=83), counselors (N=70), teachers (N=71), principals (N=50) and superintendents (N=17) were surveyed. Findings report widespread interest in increased curriculum planning, academics, and science and mathematics. Many criticisms of the…