In response to congressional approaches to welfare reform, this report describes a study of the extent to which child care needs of welfare recipients in the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program are currently being met, whether any barriers exist to meeting the child care needs of JOBS participants, the effects of child care subsidies…

The Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) report challenged schools, parents, and businesses to help all students develop competencies in the basic skills, thinking skills, and personal qualities required for work in the current and future workplace. In response to this challenge, vocational-technical programs were…

This paper examines problems faced by youngsters at risk of failure in school, and discusses methods for helping them succeed in educational programs. At-risk youngsters confront many problems in school and in mainstream society, and are frequently misidentified, misdiagnosed, and improperly instructed. Problems faced by at-risk youngsters…

Since 1988, Vermont has been developing an innovative performance assessment program that relies substantially on portfolios of student work. This interim report presents findings about the reliability of scores from the first statewide implementation of the portfolio program in the 1991-92 school year. The focus is not on program impact as an…

This policy brief examines the fundamental principles that undergird the current Total Quality Management (TQM) movement, describes application examples and discusses application problems particular to higher education. An opening section reviews the basic premises of TQM and differentiates between two perspectives on the approach: the first see…

This quarterly newsletter issue discusses the upcoming United Nations-sponsored International Year of the Family (IYF), with a specific focus on activities, trends, and research dealing with Canada. Four feature articles examine: (1) the work of the Canada Committee for the IYF, including activities and publications sponsored by the committee and…

This publication provides guidelines to new and experienced teachers for establishing and managing Ohio's extended program, an integral component of all vocational home economics programs that prepare students for the work of the family. Contents include the following: the rationale for the extended program, standard for extended service for…

In March 1991, New Jersey's school finance reform law, The Quality Education Act, targeted 287 million dollars to 30 school districts with high proportions of at-risk students. This paper presents findings of a study that examined how 11 districts in New Jersey utilized state resources to meet the needs of their at-risk students. Five were…

This report examines the origins, development, content, and implementation of state-level policies that were designed to establish or strengthen educational accountability and effectiveness in the 15 states that are members of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). It provides state-by-state profiles of legislation and policies, explaining…

This report examines the origins, development, content, and implementation of state-level policies that were designed to establish or strengthen educational accountability and effectiveness in the 15 states that are members of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). It provides tables outlining the context and content of such initiatives in…

The New Jersey Department of Education asked Research for Better Schools, Inc., to design and conduct a study of the Cognitive Pilot Program of the Broad Based Component of the state's Urban Initiative. The purpose was to provide descriptive information about the implementation of the program in all 21 pilot program sites and of promising…

This document consists of the final report and booklet developed by a project that provided individual counseling and life-coping skills workshops to recently unemployed workers lacking basic educational skills. The final report describes how individuals recruited at Philadelphia unemployment offices attended group workshop sessions where they…

This report describes clients served by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) from July 1990 through June 1991. The report lists the number of clients served in ten DSHS programs--broken down by county--and the direct service dollars spent on those clients. Researchers also grouped the clients by age and by…

This study was commissioned by the Virginia State Legislature to provide baseline data on the post-school outcomes for youth with disabilities in Virginia. The study was conducted by an interdisciplinary team including individuals representing five state agencies, local education agencies, parents, and researchers. The study involved an analysis…

This booklet presents the Texas State Library Systems Act and some supporting documents to help in the operation of a library under the Texas system. The State Library Systems Act establishes and defines the state library system, allowing for its operation and management and defining the member libraries. Information on state grants is provided,…