Across the country, policymakers, postsecondary leaders, and students themselves are engaged in questions about the purpose and value of college. Learners are trying to reconcile concerns about the cost and relevance of postsecondary education with the increasing importance of postsecondary training and credentials for attaining good jobs. Many of…

TransferBOOST (Bachelor's Opportunity Options that are Straightforward and Transparent) is a multi-year state-level initiative developed to provide students with affordable, quality, well-supported two- to four-year pathways. Affordability matters a great deal for transfer students, but it has typically not been understood or prioritized. The IHEP…

Research shows that teachers of color can benefit all students, particularly students of color, yet only one in five teachers are individuals of color, compared to more than half of K-12 public school students. Increasing the diversity of educators can not only benefit students, but recruiting, preparing, and retaining more teachers of color who…

Advanced education contributes to greater individual and regional prosperity, including increased earnings, improved economic growth, greater levels of community engagement and improved health outcomes. Rising costs to students and families combined with a student body that may require additional resources to ensure its success, however, may make…

This article explains how the Maryland public library community used data from a citizen poll to support increases in government funding. With a major grant from the Division of Library Development Services (the official name for the Maryland state library), the public library community hired a nationally known pollster, Potomac, Inc., to conduct…

These state profiles provide brief descriptions of the target population, services, and participants of state-administered adult education programs that are supported in part by funds authorized under the Adult Education Act, as amended. Profiles based on information taken from 1990 census data and from information included in the 1991 annual…

For nearly 40 years, the federal government has helped provide early childhood development for children of low-income families through Head Start and other programs. This study examined how Georgia, New Jersey, New York, and Oklahoma expanded their preschool programs for at-risk students to serve more children, focusing on: how programs were…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Bill Gates Testifies Before Senate Committee: Microsoft Chairman Pushes for High School Reform, Says Every Child…

Synthesizes discussions that occurred among a consortium of professionals responsible for the evaluation of early-intervention programs and highlights issues emerging from state-level evaluations of early-intervention programs in the context of six different areas: measures, outcomes, service integration, eligibility, funding models, and cost…

This report from a California task force provides recommendations to improve the quality of education for the approximately 11,000 students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing in California. It begins by discussing the educational barriers faced by students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, including the significance of regional programs and then…

A team of evaluators assessed the implementation of the Career Education Incentive Act in Tennessee during the period from the fall of 1979 through January 1981. Using a series of standardized reporting forms as well as telephone and personal interviews with local project directors, evaluators collected data pertaining to 20 local projects carried…

Title I of the Elementary Secondary Education Act authorizes a federally funded compensatory program for several groups of educationally disadvantaged children. The legislation directs that priority educational needs of these children be identified and programs be designed to provide appropriate supplemental instruction. This report summarizes…

This paper reviews and analyzes a 1997-98 budget proposal by the Chancellor and Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. The proposal, entitled "Partnership for Excellence," proposes to fund a portion of the California Community College budget on a performance basis, with a differential payout mechanism for colleges based…

Of Utah's 181,428 adults without a high school diploma, 27,770 (14,201 males and 13,569 females) were enrolled in an adult basic education (ABE) or General Educational Development (GED) program in FY 1992-93. Of those persons, 15,238 demonstrated improved basic skills for personal satisfaction and increased self-confidence, 6,492 completed ABE,…

This report provides recommendations for a comprehensive telecommunications policy for Florida that focuses the state's technological resources on the accomplishment of specific educational goals. The recommendations are based on a review of the relevant literature, a survey of approximately 950 community college and university faculty, and a…