In response to rising college tuition and student debt over the past three decades, some institutions, localities, and states have implemented a range of tuition-free promise programs to promote college access and success. Programs vary widely in their design features, including eligibility stipulations and award structure. I explore the growing…

This article describes the collaborative efforts of various state and national agencies working together to recruit and retain agriculture teachers in the states of Kentucky, South Carolina, and Ohio. We contrast multiple measures of recruitment and retention in these states with those from the comparator states of Arkansas, West Virginia, and…

Preschool Development Grant (PDG) grantees and Head Start programs are funded to provide high-quality preschool education and comprehensive services to families meeting federal poverty guidelines. The overlap of program standards and services across these two programs provides unique opportunities for partnerships. This document provides examples…

In today's uncertain economy, states and regions are experiencing myriad workforce challenges. In the short run, layoffs and unemployment resulting from the current economic downturn dictate an immediate need for education and training to prepare workers for key occupations. In the long run, states and regions continue to exist in a global economy…

Response to intervention (RTI) can be both a system for providing early interventions to struggling students and a special education diagnostic tool for evaluating and identifying students with specific learning disabilities. Contributing to the very limited literature on state-level approaches, this report describes how nine states define and…

This study was designed to determine the degree of use, level of client satisfaction of professional development and educational services, and to identify suggestions for improving services. Results from a mixed methodology approach indicated moderate to high levels of satisfaction in two program areas and moderate to high levels of…

The author examines the usefulness of a single and separate governance structure for all the public vocational-technical education in a state. The article tells how the policy change came about in Arkansas and looks at the progress that has taken place under the new system. (CT)

This qualitative study attempts to document outcomes of two statewide agricultural and rural leadership programs by determining the affects of the program on participants after they graduate. The study explored three levels of outcomes: individual, organizational and community using the EvaluLEAD framework developed by Grove, Kibel and Haas…

Three police training programs varied markedly and present a selection of models appropriate to different circumstances and training needs. The New Jersey Police Training Commission provides for supervisory training through the use of mobile classrooms staffed with trained professional teams, equipped with modern teaching aids, and experimenting…

This document's purpose is to establish the minimum standards for approval of programs for education of gifted students in Arkansas. Guidelines are included to: (1) enable school districts to establish equitable criteria for identification of gifted and talented students; (2) establish programs which will lead to appropriate educational…

Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 is the largest federally-funded program designed to provide services to educationally deprived elementary school and secondary school students who live in areas with a concentration of children from low income families. Annual needs assessment and evaluation are requirements of…

The Multicultural Reading and Thinking (McRAT) Program of the Arkansas public schools is described, and results of a study of its effectiveness are reported. The McRAT Program is a process that empowers teachers to refocus instruction and restructure standard curricula for higher order thinking. The multicultural emphasis provides a meaningful…

The goals of the Arkansas Capacity Building Dissemination Project (Project AID--Arkansas Information Dissemination) were to (1) increase the use of information for decision-making in Arkansas, (2) increase implementation of beneficial programs and practices in Arkansas schools, (3) develop a strong dissemination and communication staff at the…

This year the Center on Education Policy (CEP) analyzed data on the achievement of different groups of students in two distinct ways. First, it looked at grade 4 test results to determine whether the performance of various groups improved at three achievement levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced. Second, it looked at gaps…