This report presents findings of a survey study examining the efforts of southern states and the District of Columbia to implement the goals and action steps of the Action Plan to Improve Access to Child Care Assistance for Low-Income Families in the South. Surveys were sent to the members of the Southern Regional Task Force on Child Care,…

Launched in 1994, Smart Start is the statewide early childhood initiative in North Carolina designed to ensure that every child "arrives at school healthy and ready to succeed." This guide provides a practical reference to the lessons learned from Smart Start as the program was developed and experienced from the local county partnership…

The first of a 3-volume series describing the 17 Early Head Start (EHS) programs in fall 1997, this report discusses the main features of the research programs and identifies the key challenges and successes they experienced during their first year of serving families. Chapter 1 of the report discusses the historical and national context of the…

The state Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funds state programs to help low-income, uninsured children overcome financial barriers to medical care. Previous research found that rural children were more likely to be uninsured than urban children. This report examines the implementation of CHIP and related outreach, enrollment, and…

Three main questions guided this study: (1) What are the possible implications, positive and negative, from implementing an Ed.D. program at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU)?; (2) What were the conditions for teaching at other universities when an Ed.D. program was adopted?; and (3) What have been the long-term effects--positive,…

This document contains 85 articles taken from previously published issues of the "CTS Communication Network Update," a publication about the career and technology studies (CTS) program of career education designed for Alberta, Canada, high school juniors and seniors. Following an introductory section and a section on general CTS, the…

A survey of school districts was conducted to determine the initial progress and problems associated with the 1997 Class Size Reduction (CSR) Initiative. Data reveal that most school districts had enough space for smaller classes for at least two grade levels; small school districts were much less likely to report space constraints. The CSR did…

Discussed are four issues of importance to educational planners who want to implement nonformal education programs: (1) definitional and identity issues--what nonformal education is; (2) policy issues--role of nonformal education in the new distribution of goods and power; (3) institutional issues--the delivery process; and (4) curricular issues.…

A two-year evaluative study of a Child Parent Center Compensatory Education Program examined specific program characteristics and parent involvement as they affected achievement, locus of control, and home environment. Based on this quasi-experimental study, the program increased achievement, promoted greater feelings of control, and stimulated…

Most major urban boards across Canada have expressed interest in schools for the arts. The principal concern expressed by educators, and especially music educators, is the potentialy negative effect brought about by the loss of students and their leadership on the programs in the general school. (BRR)

The "Implementation Proneness Typology" was developed to facilitate examination of a teacher's implementation to new innovations in a quantitative manner. Dimensions considered include assertiveness, surgency, conscientiousness, venturesomeness, imaginativeness, shrewdness, experimentiveness, self-sufficiency, humanistic classroom…

Procedures are presented for state departments of education and the local educational agencies to share the responsibility of showing that a minimum competency test is a fair measure of what is taught. It is recommended that the state lead in technical assistance, provide models, and monitor and evaluate the entire process. (CM)

To avoid the pitfalls of past curriculum projects, marine educators must be aware of what affects a teacher's willingness to use new ideas and materials. Summarized are findings from a study of factors which influence the extent to which teachers are receptive to educational innovations. (Author/WB)

The section on personnel preparation contains two articles--"Teachers-in-Training Conduct Field Trips for Special Class Students" by S. Squires and "A State-Wide, Inservice Project for Special Needs Personnel" by G. Markel and others. (SB)

Describes an evaluation of performance-based teacher education (PBTE) programs conducted in three Australian states for technical and further education teachers during 1979. The objectives of the research included effectiveness of the PBTE approach, reactions of participants in the programs, and institutional considerations in its operation.…