In the following Q&A, NEBHE's [New England Board of Higher Education's] Fellow for Open Education, Lindsey Gumb, takes the pulse of Open Education in Rhode Island with two key leaders in the field: Dragan Gill, who is a Rhode Island College reference librarian and co-chair of the Rhode Island Open Textbook Initiative, and Daniela Fairchild,…

This pamphlet presents the concerns of child advocates related to the use of Kansas' portion of the Master Tobacco Settlement for improving the health and well-being of children and youth as legislated in 1999. This state legislation created the Kansas Endowment for Youth Fund (KEY) to receive the tobacco monies, the Children's Initiative Fund…

Problems encountered during the implementation of a statewide educational accountability plan in Mississippi are typical of those reported in the literature. This article reviews the development of the plan, the direction of implementation process has taken, and proposals for the future. (PGD)

The history and current problems of adoption services provided by the state of New York are discussed. First, statutory reforms since the creation in 1968 of the nation's first statewide adoption subsidy program are reviewed and adoption services aimed at providing permanent homes for children in foster care are described. Subsequently, the…

This Spring 1984 issue of The Bookmark comprises articles examining many aspects of the contribution of the University of the State of New York Board of Regents to the growth and development of library programs in the state. The authors and their topics were selected to show the wide range of concerns and interests that the Regents have had in…

Reports on the national demand for higher educational standards evident in the state legislation of the past three or four years that has mandated minimum competency testing programs. States that have adopted various kinds of such legislation are listed. (JD)

Examines the extent to which state mandates, including legislation, policies, rules, and practices, establish the context within which many student tracking systems are initiated, designed, and implemented. Reviews trends and considers the diversity among state approaches. (DMM)

Interviews with state legislators from Wisconsin (D. Bezruki), Massachusetts (T. P. Kennedy), and Virginia (P. Leone) illustrate the roles that evaluation is playing in the current state budget crisis. The influence of evaluation data appears largely specific to individual programs rather than systematically applied to the budgeting process. (SLD)

Eight articles in this Spring 1985 issue of The Bookmark focus on young adult library services. In addition to these thematic articles, an introduction and three reports are presented. The issue contains: (1) "In Perspective" (E. J. Josey); (2) "Young Adult Literature in the 1980's--Awesome!" (Ellin Chu); (3) "Young Adult…

Some insights into the development of an eleventh grade test of "adult functional competency" are provided. The evolution of the test from its first mention to its translation into a test item pool is traced. An attempt is made to identify some of the instructional, measurement, and legal implications inherent in various decisions which…

Today more than half of the women in America raising children on their own get no financial support from the fathers. The article considers the following aspects of states' roles in dealing with that problem: (1) states' powers and alternatives for action; (2) difficulties faced by states in applying those powers; and (3) suggestions for…

The final report documents activities and presents recommendations of the 2-year demonstration phase of a project to coordinate school-to-community transition services at the state and local levels for students with disabilities. The critical importance of the transition period and passage by the Maine Legislation in 1986 of the Transitional…

New Jersey Education Association policy regarding testing is presented. The policy recognizes the need of teachers, students, parents, and other decision-makers for continuous and comprehensive evaluation and diagnosis of student progress, but opposes the use of tests for denying opportunities, allocating school funds, evaluating teachers or…

True educational reform is the creation of a renewed identity at the school and classroom level when teachers and students interact in new, more productive ways. This article describes California's educational reform movement, presents evidence of successful change, and identifies where continued work needs to be done. (TE)

This report discusses the activities of Minnesota's Medical Education and Research Costs (MERC) project, which was undertaken to gather data on the costs of medical education and health care research conducted by hospitals, medical centers, and health maintenance organizations and to develop mechanisms to assess the costs across the health care…