This paper provides an analysis of government-supported workforce development programs in the United States and selected states as of the end of 2024. We provide an overview of the topic of workforce development, defining this to include activities and funding mechanisms that aim to increase the skills of workers and help them succeed in the labor…

Many welfare programs give greater benefits to unmarried individuals than to a married couple of otherwise identical income. The resulting marriage penalty discourages marriage and rewards single parenthood. Combined marriage penalties across federal and state welfare programs can reach tens of thousands of dollars per year for a given family. One…

The "Policy to Performance Toolkit" is designed to provide state adult education staff and key stakeholders with guidance and tools to use in developing, implementing, and monitoring state policies and their associated practices that support an effective state adult basic education (ABE) to postsecondary education and training transition…

Educational productivity offers a perspective but not a solution for many of the problems in American education. Because education produces several different products, several kinds of educational policy outcomes can be defined as productivity increases. These include improving classroom methods, curriculum structure, curriculum content,…

This article reports the results of policy research survey examining U.S. government strategies to obtain data on counts of children who are deaf-blind and the issues related to this effort and its outcomes. Problems frequently cited were varying definitions of deaf-blindness among states and lack of accurate data on etiology and severity. (JDD)

The major issue of educational quality is linked to the potential of national and state assessment programs. It is suggested that changes in assessment design, analysis, and reporting can significantly contribute to improvement in the policy development process. The California Assessment Program illustrates how state assessment information may be…

Years of categorical funding have led to fragmented service delivery systems related to children and families. States have had to devise mechanisms to coordinate the variety of funding streams which finance the array of children's programs. Creation of a single focal point for children's policy at the national level is recommended. Attempts to…

This critique by staff of the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges analyzes the findings and recommendations of a report submitted to the California Legislature in March 1980 after a 16-month investigation of state financial aid goals and policies. A synopsis of the report is provided first, summarizing findings in the areas…

Discussed are public health challenges related to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). A major challenge is changing habits and damping incipient fear. Education is considered by some to be one of the major public health weapons. Described are various programs, legal issues, and policies being considered and implemented. (RH)

Discusses federal and state initiatives to enhance child care quality and child care teachers' compensation. These initiatives have resulted from the passage of the Child Care and Development Block Grant in 1990. (BB)

The Western Job Training Partnership Association (WJTPA) supports the periodic evaluation of the scope and effectiveness of national, state, and local work force preparation and work force education programs. The WJTPA believes that future programs must correct the problems inherited from earlier work force preparation programs, such as the…

A survey determining how widespread the policy of prisoner furloughs has become and how well the programs which have been implemented are operated was conducted. A questionnaire regarding home furlough policies was distributed to the directors of the departments of corrections of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Federal Bureau of…

Despite the persistent possibility that foreign languages and international studies may become lost in the current federal policy of fiscal restraint, the immediate public policy context for these areas is guardedly optimistic. Recent years have produced increased media attention, growing public support, and professional unity and organization.…

This document is the first volume of a two-volume resource guide to help states and localities take advantage of new Federal initiatives to increase services to youth under the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). It summarizes the performance management principles and options available to program administrators identified in discussion papers…

This guide is intended to help state legislators enact legislation and create programs of job training within the provisions of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). The guide's five sections cover the following: job training policy (an introduction); establishing oversight of a state's job training resources; the state legislature and the…