This report provides an overview and description of social and emotional learning (SEL) and service-learning (S-L) as tools to improve the lives and academic performance of students. It describes how the two practices are interrelated, and cites research evidence that supports the expanded use of both practices in the classroom. Also provided are…

A study of Hawaii's JOBS WORKS! waiver demonstration project determined its influence on participant self-sufficiency and receipt of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Hawaii received a waiver to lift the 8-week federal limitation on upfront job search, operate on less than a statewide basis, require 18 hours of work, and secure…

Discusses the evolution of state-level assessment activities of college graduates' skills/outcomes to provide a context for a proposed national system and examines extent and types of testing in six states. Addresses the purposes of postsecondary assessment and draws conclusions as to institutional support needed to sustain a collaborative system.…

Investigates the effects on students' literacy learning of implementing recommended practices for primary programs, mandated in Kentucky's sweeping education-reform effort. Finds that students taught by four "high implementing" teachers outperformed students of "low implementing" teachers on every measure of literacy…

This paper examines the recidivism data for juvenile offenders discharged from a Massachusetts residential treatment center between 1976 and 1995. The criminal histories, juvenile and adult, of 162 delinquent youth referred through the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services who left the program were reviewed. Recidivism was defined as any…

Since the announcement in 1999 of a plan to tie teachers' salary increases to student achievement by Denver Public Schools, there has been a flood of nationwide policy activity around teacher compensation. This paper examines pay plans in Denver, Toledo, Minneapolis, and New York City, offering a snapshot of the changing landscape of teacher…

This report presents findings from the third and final year of the Reading First Impact Study (RFIS), a congressionally mandated evaluation of the federal government's initiative to help all children read at or above grade level by the end of third grade. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 established Reading First (RF) and mandated its…

Character includes the emotional, intellectual and moral qualities of a person or group as the demonstration of these qualities in prosocial behavior. Character education is an inclusive term encompassing all aspects of how schools, related social institutions and parents can support the positive character development of children and adults.…

A Friedman Foundation report attempts to find empirical support for the contention that competition from private schools, through voucher programs, improves the effectiveness of public schools. In the first year of Ohio's new EdChoice voucher program, the report claims to have found substantial academic gains at public schools exposed to the…

The Rhode Island Child Care Training System (RICCTS) is intended to tie all aspects of the state's child care and education training into a single system that will produce staff who are competent in delivering high-quality programs for young children. The RICCTS was evaluated for the effectiveness of efforts to ensure quality programming for young…

An evaluation was conducted of the Better Opportunities for New Directions (BOND) demonstration that tested the conformance between the Texas Food Stamp Employment and Training (E&T) and Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) programs. The research design was a longitudinal panel approach. First-round interviews with 54 individuals probed…

A process evaluation was conducted of the Better Opportunities for New Directions (BOND) demonstration that tested the conformance between the Texas Food Stamp Employment and Training (E&T) and Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) programs. JOBS policies and procedures were applied to eligible Food Stamp recipients; staff serving the two…

The 49 member colleges in the Illinois Community College System provide annual reports on improvements in productivity to the state community college board. This document summarizes the improvements reported by the colleges for fiscal year 1996. Following a brief introduction, the first section reviews special focus issues for fiscal year (FY)…

In 1994, an evaluation was made of the Adult Education for the Homeless (AEH) program in Ohio. Ohio currently has the third largest AEH project (of 32 states), with 40 sites spread over 12 locations. The evaluation was both formative and summative and was based on theoretical models of adult education (Teaching-Learning Exchange Theory and…

The Armstrong Atlantic State University Teacher Education Program is a participant in the Georgia Statewide Academic and Medical System, an interactive distance learning network. Over 400 sites have been linked within the state with an additional 1,700 in the planning stage. The network includes students at the high school, college, and graduate…