Meeting at Massachusetts state residential schools and centers for the mentally handicapped, the 15-man committee reviewed recommendations originally appearing in Massachusetts Plans for Its Retarded, A 10-Year Plan (1966). Forty-seven final recommendations for improving residential facilities for the retarded resulted; suggestions made for their…

This report describes individual state projects under the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act (Tech Act) that are improving access, provision, and funding of assistive technology (AT) for individuals with disabilities. The beginning of the report describes regional projects that are providing statewide information…

Explores elements of the design of school choice programs, defining outcomes and technical criteria. These criteria are applied to failed choice initiatives in three states and to a proposed initiative in California, the Parents' Choice in Education Amendment. Differential effects in urban and suburban schools are considered. (SLD)

Describes the Connecticut Library Network, which was created through state legislation to expand the state library's existing database; to link all school, public, and academic libraries and municipal government offices; and to make the state library's information resources widely accessible. Public library Internet access, National Information…

Lack of a comprehensive state policy on state government aid for postsecondary work force training has resulted in duplicate funding and competitive relationships between the vocational high schools and the county colleges in New Jersey. Major attempts by state government agencies and the legislature to influence the future of work force training…

Teens and young adults in Maine are at greatest risk for being either the offender or the victim of violence. At present, prevention activities in Maine are limited and fragmented. This document marks the beginning of a study of incidence and impact of violence among Maine youth. The process involved in conducting this was significantly hampered…

While violent crime among youth has not reached the epic proportions in Maine that it has elsewhere, there are signs that some youths are already involved in a cycle of violence and many others are at risk. The Maine Bureau of Health convened an interdepartmental work group to study youth violence in 1993 culminating in Part 1 of a two-part…

This paper presents an overview of the regulatory, technological, and economic status of interactive distance learning in Connecticut as it relates to the current and future provisioning of services by the telecommunications and cable television industries. The review is predicated upon the following questions: (1) What obligations should the…

This publication provides the basic statistics needed to illustrate the impact of North Carolina's Basic Education Program (BEP), an educational reform effort begun in 1985. Over 85% of the positions in the BEP are directly related to teaching and student-related activities. The new BEP programs result in smaller class sizes in kindergartens and…

This report briefly describes the tests, subtests, test scores, and reports that fulfill the requirements of Arizona state legislation regarding educational accountability. It summarizes the fall 1994 Arizona statewide results by grade and across grades. Discussions of student achievement strengths and weaknesses by grade level and demographic…

The purpose of this study was: (1) to examine state legislature agendas for providing access to use of technology for educational purposes; (2) to review legislative policy concerns and priorities related to the role of technology in postsecondary education; and (3) to examine the effect of legislative views and actions regarding technology on…

These three reports by national consultants assess first year progress in implementing state mandated educational reforms in Kentucky. First, "The Status of Primary School Reform in Kentucky and Its Implications," by James Rath, Lilian Katz, and John Fanning, reports on site visits to 14 public schools to assess progress in implementing…

Pursuant to the requirements of South Carolina's Employment Revitalization Act of 1986 (ERA-86), the State Occupational Training Advisory Committee (SOTAC) in South Carolina requested information for 1987-88 and 1988-89 to assess the effectiveness of coordination and articulation efforts among education and training entities. Replies with…

For the past 8 years, Research for Better Schools, Inc. (RBS) has prepared an analysis of state-wide trends in student achievement in the mid-Atlantic states (i.e., Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania). For this year, instead of quantitatively examining trends in student achievement scores, RBS decided to…

This resource manual was produced to assist the South Carolina Technical College System's efforts to improve institutional effectiveness and accountability. The first two sections of the manual provide a brief foreword, a description of state initiatives for research and academic excellence in South Carolina, the text of state legislation…