In this dissertation, I investigated the impact of the involvement of students with disabilities in the ASPIRE intervention program and examined the relationship between student involvement in the ASPIRE program and academic performance and growth. To do so, first, I outlined how I built my perspective for this study in the areas of transition,…

Building Bridges is charged with creating a statewide program for comprehensive dropout prevention, intervention, and retrieval (DPIR) programming, and to make annual recommendations to the legislature and the governor on DPIR best practices and system needs. Washington's graduation rate has steadily been increasing since 2021 with 83% of the…

This brief is intended to provide State Education Agency (SEA) and Local Education Agency (LEA) educators with a brief overview of key components of GraduateFIRST, a Georgia program targeting issues impacting school completion for students with disabilities. Georgia's GraduateFIRST program has redefined the state's approach to raising graduation…

The Interagency Plan for Children with Special Needs for Maryland residents has three major purposes: (1) to set priorities for developing or expanding services required by special needs children and their families; (2) to ensure that resources targeted for special needs children are administered effectively by increasing interagency coordination…

The seriousness of the consequences of teenage pregnancy and parenthood results in substantial long-term costs to the public as well as immeasurable personal implications. Education may be one way to combat the deleterious effects. Since attendance at school seems to be the avenue for acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills to become…

One of a series of state profiles, this report describes the dimensions of the problems caused by alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs in Kansas and the public and private initiatives to reduce these problems. It highlights positive developments and identifies areas to be strengthened. Demographic characteristics, state agency organization, and state…

The severity of the silent epidemic of lead poisoning and its long range effects on young children in impairment of intellectual ability, short-term memory, concentration, and reaction time have been recognized. A 3-year strategic plan for preventing childhood lead poisoning in Illinois was developed by a planning committee working through four…

State applications for the Part H program of Public Law 99-457 were classified by type of lead agency and by level of previous early intervention activities. Two variables were then analyzed: required components emphasized during initial year activities, and allocation of funds for administration, interagency coordinating council, planning, and…

The Louisiana Literacy Plan is designed to address the learning needs of all students in grades PK-Adult Education in order to improve the literacy rates of students in the state, thereby developing a more literate and capable citizenry for the future. Connecting this plan to the No Child Left Behind Act, Louisiana seeks to close the achievement…

This paper, one of a series from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education's project "Higher Education and the Economy of the West," describes 31 programs in 16 western states that illustrates higher education's contribution to the economy. Four school-university partnerships are described: the Pueblo School District 60/University of…