The Arizona Elementary Foreign Language Task Force's response to a state mandate requiring foreign-language instruction in all elementary schools is described. After a review of curricular and personnel resource needs, Northern Arizona University's teacher-training model is summarized. (Contains 29 references.) (Author/LB)

According to federal rules governing the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program, grant applicants were required to develop plans for spending their funding allocation. This article discusses the CCDBG public hearings and the need for the public and government officials to prepare more carefully for the hearings. (LB)

Describes a survey of state library associations that was conducted to gather information about professional development and continuing education opportunities. Issues addressed include goals of state library associations, budgets for professional development, opportunities for professional development, programs and workshops, association…

This article examines the emergence of innovative policies in public postsecondary education systems and suggests that state postsecondary governance structures have influences on innovation that are independent of other social, educational, and economic factors. Policy implications are discussed. (SLD)

Discusses the history of welfare reform and the different approaches used in several states. Describes multiple models that have emerged in community colleges, including short-term training programs, open entry/exit programs or alternative entry dates, classes offered at unconventional times, company-specific programs, case-management strategies,…

Explores the various responses of four first-year English teachers to a state-mandated mentor program in New Jersey and implications for Wisconsin's proposal for a distinct mentor-supported license stage for beginning teachers. Suggests that mentors must appreciate their responsibilities and that school administrators must support the…

Using data from state and academic reports, an independent committee of researchers has evaluated the Massachusetts Teacher Tests. Scores are found to be highly unreliable, and the tests are found to contain questionable content. Suspending use of the tests is recommended. (SLD)

The critique of the Massachusetts Teacher Tests by W. Haney and others points out some flaws in the tests but ignores the fact that the tests provide some useful information to guide teacher selection decisions. Calls for additional study of these teacher evaluation instruments. (SLD)

Discusses higher standards and educational reform in New York schools and considers the growing need for graduates with knowledge and skills to enter the labor market or pursue advanced technical education and training. Describes one Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) program that is being developed to meet these needs. (LRW)

Explains the conflict between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of Arizona regarding educational organization and funding. Describes Arizona's history of educational reform from 1990 to 1997, the legal and political challenges to reform initiative, and the state of education in 1997. Predicts that the reform issue will not soon be…

Explains trends in 1980s and 1990s and state of Delaware's funding process in 1997, including percentages, dollar amounts, and components of educational system. Describes recently determined goals and state's strategic reform process, including standard-based reform, assessment for accountability, and capacity building. Provides analysis of impact…

Explains South Dakota's Connecting the Schools project that distributed hardware and software for K-12 schools, as well as provided training; developed the Digital Dakota Network (DDN), a high-speed statewide telecommunications network that provides data and video services to educational and governmental communities and helps with network design;…

Results of a cost-effectiveness analysis of early intervention services in Massachusetts indicate that for a given investment, children demonstrate different levels of improvement in adaptive behavior and child-mother interaction depending on the severity of their disability and the age of entry into intervention. (SLD)

Describes eight multilibrary automation and connectivity initiatives in Alabama that involve public libraries, regional library systems, county library systems, library networks, academic libraries, and public school libraries. Addresses and contact people are supplied for each organization. (LRW)

A study conducted demographic analyses of Maryland's early intervention data by geographic region for training implications. The data were collected from January 1, 1992 to December 31, 1995. Although there ware many areas of overlapping needs, results indicated that training needs can vary from one geographic locale to the next. (Contains…