This report focuses on the formulation and implementation of family support and education policies in four states, all of which have established programs that provide the core services of parenting education, early childhood development activities, parent support groups, and information about other community agencies. The initiatives are…

This paper draws on the experience of various states in its discussion of questions, issues, and decisions that policymakers face as they plan their states' family support initiatives. The discussion is organized into three parts that correspond roughly with the stages of policy formation, program development, and program implementation and…

This report was written in an effort to establish a new strategy for reducing the odds of failure for thousands of Arizona's vulnerable children and their families. It echoes the sentiments of a growing number of policymakers, concerned citizens, and parents who hold that the cost of child and family problems is so dramatic, and the amount of…

This revised manual presents a timetable, proposals and evaluation procedures, and information on the designation, discontinuance, and inactivation of instructional programs for Maryland community colleges. After the first section presents a timetable for the proposal and evaluation of new and existing instructional programs, information on…

The report and an accompanying executive summary of a statewide needs assessment on young handicapped children in Iowa examine services available, effectiveness of services, and needed changes. The introduction provides an overview of State Planning Grants, Iowa's history of early childhood special education, and this project's approach to…

This paper presents data from a 1989 survey of 48 state higher education executive officers regarding the use of fiscal enhancement programs as a strategy to influence higher education performance. The paper reports on the purposes and objectives most often funded through specific incentives, and on the key advantages and disadvantages of this…

The four sections of this final report, which follow the initial executive summary, present outcomes of Massachusetts' 2-year effort to strengthen and expand high quality, affordable day care services. Section I focuses on the supply of and demand for day care services in the state. Section II explores aspects of public and private partnerships,…

Fifteen national organizations involved in research, policy analysis, and/or implementation of state youth education and employment activities are described. This directory is intended to be a resource for persons responsible for adjusting programs to the requirements of the new federal employment and training legislation, the Job Training…

Maryland's School Improvement Through Instructional Process (SITIP) program involved 24 local education agencies (LEAs) in implementing one or more research-based instructional models: Active Teaching, Mastery Learning, Student Team Teaching, and Teaching Variables. A summary is presented of: (1) descriptions of each of the instructional models;…

Intended as an orientation guide, this manual presents information on library network operations for use by staff and advisory council members of the Texas Library System. The first chapter describes the role of systems in public library development in Texas, with a delineation of the history of Texas library systems, a chronology of related…

This policy statement focuses on educators' responsibility to provide programs that meet the needs of young children and their families. The statement is a call to action, urging the development of direct, creative, and expanded assistance that would not only help individual families, but would also be sound national policy. Listed are principles…

During the National Project for State Community Education Planning and Development, the following main activities were accomplished: (1) each state received (or was eligible for) a State Community Education Planning Assistance Award for developing or updating a 5-year state plan for community education (1988-1993); (2) a planning and training…

Missouri's Parents as Teachers (PAT) program is a state-funded nontargeted early prevention service that is provided by all 543 school districts in the state. Professional educators involved in the program provide parents with the tools they need to effectively teach and nurture their young children. The PAT curriculum was designed to strengthen…

In response to the problem of adult literacy, the Michigan State Board of Education initiated a program to reduce the functional illiteracy rate among adults in the state significantly. This is to be accomplished by: (1) raising the level of awareness of the scope of illiteracy problems in the state; (2) developing comprehensive literacy programs…

South Carolina's comprehensive Education Improvement Act of 1984 includes provisions for the development and implementation of statewide incentive pay programs for teachers, principals, and schools. The provision affecting teachers mandates the development and field testing of up to three programs between 1984 and 1986 and the implementation of…