Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) needs to focus more directly on what happens in the workplace and consider the needs of employers. Employers identify skill levels of both job applicants and employees as a major obstacle to employing and retaining TANF recipients and other entry-level workers as well as the cost of entry-level…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Education Programs Receive Little Funding: Striving Readers One of Only a Handful of Programs to Receive Small…

Now that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004) has been reauthorized, states have the option of discontinuing the use of IQ-achievement discrepancy formulas and using Response to Intervention (RTI) criteria as part of the special education identification process. This change has dramatic implications for…

This resource for life skills activities for adolescents with special needs covers aspects of interpersonal relationships, communication skills, academic and school skills, practical living skills, vocational skills, problem-solving skills, and lifestyle choices. Included are 190 illustrated activity sheets with related exercises, discussion…

This collection of articles related to language issues and literacy and bilingual and multicultural education include the following: "Three Processes in the Child's Acquisition of Syntax" (Roger Brown and Ursula Bellugi); "Pre-School Children's Knowledge of English Phonology" (Charles Read); "Stages in Language Development and Reading Exposure"…

The purpose of this report was to describe the first year of the implementation of a bilingual program consisting of three levels of instruction: preliterate, beginning, and intermediate. Students were placed in one of the three levels following state and district guidelines. The instruction implemented was designed to serve students with little…

This manual for the 1992 Texas Reading Club aims to use books as the major focus of all reading club activities and to provide a holistic view of library programing for the reading club and other summer library activities. Following an initial chapter called "Prepare To Set Sail" containing ideas for launching the club, particular…

This publication contains a final report and curriculum materials for a workplace literacy partnership program. The final project report includes the following: a project overview, goal analysis, statistical data on learners served, summaries on instruction, recommendations, dissemination and evaluation activities, and instruments with results.…

The partial immersion program at Key Elementary School (Arlington, Virginia), where half the day is taught in English and half in Spanish, continued to be successful in its ninth year. Reasons for success include: dedication and in-depth understanding of immersion philosophy among principal, coordinator, teachers, and staff; innovations in both…

This paper presents an overview of three countries, China, Japan, and Korea, in the northeastern Asia region and provides a bibliography of children's literature from the area in the appendix. The document advocates that the global interdependence of societies necessitates an understanding of the cultures with which people must interrelate.…

Library use instruction designed specifically for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students is discussed briefly and library skill activities used with this population at Union County College (New Jersey) are described. It is noted that many students from other countries have had little or no exposure to libraries because of either limited…

This guide to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) describes its purpose, contents, uses, and research methodology by presenting 21 questions about the NAEP program. The NAEP is mandated by Congress to survey the educational accomplishments of U.S. students and to monitor changes in these accomplishments. It tracks the…

Home environments have been linked to cognitive development and academic performance, with suggestions that family factors exert more influence on language and literacy learning than on mathematics achievement. This study's purpose was to learn how selected family factors might be differentially related to primary grade achievement in reading and…

A relatively systemic approach to education reform emerged in the 1990s as one way of addressing policy fragmentation. This volume contains the case studies from a study that sought to: (1) expand knowledge of state approaches to systemic education reform; (2) examine district, school, and teacher responses to state reform policies in a small…

Offering a comprehensive view of teaching that takes into account the great variety of backgrounds, abilities, and interests of secondary students, this book uses a holistic, integrated approach to teaching the English language arts, including group activities throughout to provide listening and speaking opportunities in literature, composition,…