Many welfare programs give greater benefits to unmarried individuals than to a married couple of otherwise identical income. The resulting marriage penalty discourages marriage and rewards single parenthood. Combined marriage penalties across federal and state welfare programs can reach tens of thousands of dollars per year for a given family. One…

An integrated data system (IDS) that links information from separate administrative data systems offers policymakers, program administrators and researchers a powerful tool to analyze interactive effects across systems and make more informed decisions to improve outcomes for vulnerable families. This case study discusses how two states (Washington…

Purpose/Objective: This case study identified common elements of three diverse New England school districts that were real-world models of improving school meals. Methods: School districts that had greater than 1,000 students, [greater than or equal to]3 schools, and [greater than or equal to]40% of students who qualified for free- or…

The research problem for this qualitative study was "Effective response to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) by school leadership is critical to public school success or failure in Indiana. Because high schools have been the first and most-often to 'fail' under NCLB, knowing principals' concerns and the leadership and implementation of strategies…

This report explains federal programs for children with exceptionalities and reviews federal financial support for special education and gifted programs. It analyzes Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) programs with information on appropriations, authorizing provision, purpose, who receives funding, kinds of activities supported,…

This report explains federal programs for children with exceptionalities and reviews federal financial support for special education and gifted programs. It analyzes Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) programs with information on 2003 appropriations, authorizing provision, purpose, who receives funding, kinds of activities…

This guidebook has been developed to support and coordinate efforts across Pennsylvania to increase the connections between farms and schools. It is written for schools and school districts--and especially for food service directors, teachers, administrators, school nurses, and school health and wellness committees. It is also written for farmers…

Public Libraries are an important service traditionally provided by local government in the United States. The national government has furnished assistance in the form of grants to the states since the passage of the Library Services Act in 1956. In 1996, the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) became law, representing major changes to…

During the past two decades federal, state, and local school leaders have attempted to institute major changes in educational programs and organizational arrangements. Recent assessment studies reveal that the great majority of change efforts did not meet intended objectives. As a result, policy formulators have developed serious reservations…

Phase II of the Emergency School Assistance Program (ESAP), a federal program designed to aid local education agencies in bringing about racial desegregation of their public school systems is discussed. This phase is an intensive study of 20 selected ESAP districts, which identifies and documents ESAP activities that have successfully aided the…

Class size reduction has been shown to, among other things, improve academic achievement for all students and particularly for low-income and minority students. With the No Child Left Behind Act's heavy emphasis on scientifically based research, adequate yearly progress, and disaggregated results, one wonders why all children aren't enrolled in…

About 2 years after enactment of the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Program, the Southport Institute for Policy Analysis began a 2-year study of how extensively JOBS was being implemented at the state level, in what manner, and with what results. The study included four elements: literature review, interviews and consultations with…

Farm to school (FTS) programs have been getting more and more attention these days. FTS programs aim to increase the supply of fresh, locally grown farm products served for meals and snacks in K-12 school environments, and tend to incorporate educational and experiential components designed to increase students' understanding of and engagement…

Intended to provide basic information to policymakers and education-for-work planners, this report addresses both past history and possible directions for linking job training to economic development. In a discussion of the nature of economic development both international issues and economic development in the United States are covered. Discussed…

The five parts of this report present the findings and recommendations of the Migrant Child Welfare study. Part I briefly summarizes the impact of the child welfare services and the family interview results, and reviews the organizational structure of program delivery at the state and local levels. Part II synthesizes the information obtained from…