This volume is one of the products of the knowledge development activities mounted in conjunction with research, evaluation, and development activities funded under the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act of 1977. Based on the Ventures in Community Improvement (VICI) "enhanced" job training/job placement approach, which used…

Divided into three major sections, this document defines rural, discusses the role of the National Diffusion Network (NDN), and summarizes the findings of the 17 research reports included in Abt Associates' study of the Experimental Schools Program for Small Schools Serving Rural Areas. Section I, a summary reproduction from recorded notes of an…

This report describes ongoing efforts of the Maine Department of Education to encourage high school improvement through state-level actions. Three intertwined strategies have added value to the individual schools' improvement efforts, including: (1) the drafting of a statewide reform framework called Promising Futures; (2) the creation of a new…

A project was conducted in Pennsylvania to provide technical support to the APEX nomination and awards activity that recognizes outstanding adult education practitioners. The project included a revision of the nomination form and procedures developed for APEX in 1998 to align them with Adult Teacher Competency Standards developed in 1999. The APEX…

Families First is a family preservation program aimed at providing therapeutic and practical help for families in the Netherlands faced with imminent placement of one or more of the children in out-of-home care. In 1994, the demonstration projects took place in four locations in the Netherlands. Participating were 320 children from 234 families…

Describes an assessment procedure used by the American Institutes of Research in a management-oriented evaluation of the Women's Educational Equity Act Program (WEEAP). Also summarizes findings of the assessment and recommendations in the context of WEEAP's legislative mandate and equity issues. (GC)

The Utah Elementary Integration Model places students with severe disabilities in neighborhood schools that provide supported integration in age-appropriate grade-level homerooms, peer-referenced and community-referenced curriculum, a transdisciplinary team approach, and data-based training in natural settings. Twenty-seven participants achieved…

A pilot telecommunications program for mainstreamed blind and visually impaired students, developed by Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services (Wantagh, New York), is described. Program components include online databases and electronic mail, a central support site, home sites for itinerant teachers, and district sites for students. (JDD)

This article describes a program called Blind FOCUS, in which the medical community and rehabilitation services cooperate to provide integrated services to people with diabetes who become visually impaired, in the Kansas City, Missouri, area. (DB)

In the face of steadily declining numbers of small-operation farmers and ranchers, the Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Assistance Act's Farmers and Ranchers Demonstration Project funded projects in four states to develop strategies for serving farmers. The experiences of these four projects in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South…

A study evaluated the implementation of three demonstration programs for male juveniles that explored how the adult boot camp strategy could be modified to serve the unique needs of juveniles. Evaluation efforts sought to determine how the three demonstration sites--Cleveland, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; and Mobile, Alabama--were choosing and…

Since 1976, the Cumberland Valley School District (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania) has offered an external high school diploma program for adults that combines academic achievement with life skill competencies. In 1995-1996, the Cumberland Valley School District received funds to recruit three educational agencies/school districts willing to…

The Inclusive Education Project was a collaborative demonstration project between the Division of Special Education and Rehabilitation at Syracuse University and the Syracuse City School District, in New York. It was designed to meet special problems of children with severe handicaps in regular education settings. Project goals included: (1)…

This book presents the National Science Resources Center's (NSRC's) strategic planning model for bringing about district-wide elementary science reform in accordance with the National Science Education Standards. The NSRC model views the elementary science program as a cohesive system that includes: a research-based, inquiry-centered science…

As a result of a review of performance reports submitted by almost 400 colleges and universities receiving Veterans Education Outreach Program (VEOP) grants, 37 exemplary programs were identified by a panel of 5 professionals in veterans' education and government administration. The exemplary programs selected showed consistency in staff efforts…