This final report describes activities and accomplishments of the New York Partnership for Statewide Systems Change 2000, a 5-year project to increase and improve inclusive educational services to New York State students with severe disabilities at the secondary level and students with serious emotional disturbance at the elementary and middle…

This report provides an overview of legislative actions relating to higher education in New Mexico during fiscal year 1997-98. The governor signed into law approximately $485 million in appropriations from the state general fund for the operation of higher education institutions and programs in 1997-98, a decrease of 0.5 percent from the current…

The 1996 welfare reform law--the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act--has contradictory aspects. It gives the states greatly increased fiscal flexibility and at the same time sets extensive and elaborate new behavioral requirements. The dynamics of welfare since the passage of the Social Security Act in 1935 have been…

A study reviewed the efforts of six states (California, Florida, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, and Washington) to create new policies and strategies to support low-income individuals as they work. The study found the following: (1) working steadily initially after leaving welfare is linked to being employed in later years but is not linked to higher…

This document examines microenterprise development as an employment option for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients. The document begins with a brief discussion of the feasibility of self-employment as an option for TANF recipients, particularly in a slow economy. The next section answers policy questions pertaining to the…

This report presents the December 1, 1997, special education data collected annually by the State of Maryland as part of the its Special Services Information System. Information is compiled on special education students between the ages of 3 and 21 in all 24 local education agencies and state operated programs. Definitions of key terms used to…

On the premise that access to services addressing children's emotional well-being is essential to improving the quality of care received, this paper presents a framework or plan of action to ensure that those services are accessible in Delaware and meet the needs of all children, their parents, and the child care community that serves them.…

A majority of adults in most Alaska Native villages were without jobs in 1990, and the situation was probably not substantially better in 1998. This report summarizes current Alaska Native employment data and employment trends, provides information on public and private programs that target Native hire, and describes promising approaches for…

This technical assistance document discusses retraining of speech-language personnel and formulating and implementing programs to comply with federal legislation. It addresses priorities in the use of qualified personnel to provide services in schools, planning and implementing of statewide retraining, approaches to retraining to meet the highest…

In this article, I examine the implications of additive and subtractive conceptions for the education of English language learner (ELL) students. To understand how competing theories regarding the education of ELL students materialize into action, I examine select findings from one district's implementation of Proposition 227. Focusing on the…

The National Science Foundation (NSF), in collaboration with 24 states and one territory, is engaged in a multi-year effort to improve the quality of mathematics, science, and technology education for all students in a systemic way. The goal of the Statewide Systemic Initiatives (SSI) is to develop broad strategies for coordinating or aligning…

Employer involvement is a crucial element in the success of school-to-work initiatives. To reach out to employers, states can do the following: target key employers and industries; foster employer ownership; give employers opportunities to recruit their peers; create or collaborate with intermediary organizations; establish partnerships with labor…

The National Science Foundation is investing millions of dollars in efforts to improve math, science, and technology education through its Statewide Systemic Initiatives (SSI) program. However, states are facing difficult challenges in accurately assessing the effects of these efforts on student learning. This issue of CPRE Policy Briefs examines…

A study examined the effects of statewide performance-based assessment (the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP)) on literacy instruction, administrative support provided to facilitate instructional change, and student and teacher affect in response to change in elementary classrooms. Of the schools in Maryland identified by…

The Success Stories project provides assistance to the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) in selecting and recognizing 10 outstanding ABLE students via Midwinter Conference awards ceremonies and publication of their stories. Project staff edited the Success Stories nominations, made…