This publication contains summaries of six papers presented at a conference on community and policy strategies for Latinos in Massachusetts. Each summary follows an executive summary format by briefly describing the project or argument and highlighting and summarizing major findings or recommendations. The papers are as follows: (1) "An…

The Office of Community College Research and Leadership project involves research, technical assitance, information dissemination, and leadership activities for postsecondary Illinois vocational-technical education target audiences, especially community college administrators. "Update" newsletters and "Research Briefs"…

Difficulties and rewards in using state assessment policy to benefit both students and the state are reviewed. The questions examined in this guide will help state policy makers know the questions they should ask about whether, what, and how well students are learning. Questions were developed from four seminars in 1989, 1990, and 1991 on…

This paper synthesizes current thinking, issues, and practices related to the use of paraprofessionals in the provision of early intervention and preschool services to children with disabilities, birth through 5 years of age, and their families. Information was gathered from 31 state and jurisdiction coordinators of preschool services under Part B…

This final report describes activities of a project which addresses issues concerning assessment in higher education through forums, papers, and development and dissemination of resources on activities in the states. In particular the project sought to explore how state initiatives to improve undergraduate education through assessment can be…

A survey of the 50 United States investigated laws and policy concerning programs for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in elementary and secondary schools. This summary outlines state requirements imposed on schools regarding specific types of programs that must be offered to LEP students, the number of LEP students to be served, and the…

This paper presents a qualitative description of one of Hawaii's educational reform projects: the Electronic School Pilot Project, an innovative method of integrating advanced telecommunications technology into the classroom as a proposed cure for statewide inadequate or low performance on national standard exams (e.g., ACT and SAT). The…

Technology utilization in the schools of North Carolina was the focus of a research collaboration between the Rural Economic Development Center and the Public School Forum of North Carolina. The study was broke in to two phases. The first was to design and send out an instrument to assess how much technology is utilized in North Carolina schools,…

Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) of 1994 provides funds for schools with large concentrations of children from low-income families. A fundamental requirement is that children served by Title I funds must be educated according to the same academic standards as all other students. This handbook focuses on methods for developing…

Designed to help instructional technology building coordinators with the integration of television, radio, and computer resources into their schools' curricula, this guide/calendar is designed for use throughout the year as a scheduling aid and reference manual. The first of two major sections covers approximately 35 topics, including the…

This manual on the Maine Surrogate Parent Program is designed for surrogate parents, social workers, and educational personnel. It defines relevant terms; outlines procedures for identification of students who require a surrogate parent; explains how surrogate parents are appointed and trained; lists the rights and responsibilities of the…

The Maryland School Performance Program released six sample tasks to illustrate the types of assessment tasks that would appear on the 1992 Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP). Students' responses to these tasks are open-ended; that is, students generate their own responses. A wide range of responses to each task is acceptable.…

In support of the National Education Goals of 1990, the Goals Panel convened a Technical Planning Group to offer background guidance for the National Council on Education and Standards in its task of establishing world-class academic standards for the United States. Recommendations of the Planning Group consider two types of content standards:…

This annual report of the State Library of South Carolina for 1992-1993 summarizes the library's operations, accomplishments, and status for the fiscal year. The following topics are included in the report: (1) the governance/mission statement of the State Library; (2) the history of the library; (3) organization and operations; (4) library…

The state plan for educational technology in Ohio has been developed to facilitate a basic understanding of the broad scope of technology and how it can affect learning positively. It is also intended to provide a framework for policy and resource allocation decision making. Massive systemic changes in curriculum, professional development, and…