Discusses the implementation of a software system that allows teachers to take advantage of large banks of questions in subject areas. Explains that this plan is the result of a 1981 court mandate to standardize learning outcomes. Follows the development of the system and choosing of the software. (MVL)

The extent to which state allocation formulas under the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act Chapter Two bloc grant promotes traditional equity or redistribution objectives is examined. Factors associated with the variation among states in the redistributive nature of their Chapter Two formulas are explained. (SLD)

It is argued that school administrators at the state, district, or building level should review and evaluate policy in addition to their more traditional roles in implementation. This exercise of leadership should provide a more comprehensive response to policy initiatives. (SLD)

Describes the projects of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education's (ASHE) Foreign Language Consortium, established through federal funding in 1985 to enhance teacher training programs. The impact of the Consortium on foreign language instruction in Alabama is discussed. (Author/CB)

A statewide staff mentoring program was developed in Illinois as an option for providing a personalized, intensive approach to training early intervention personnel on a large scale. Evaluation results for the initial period of developing the process and for the first eight trainer-trainee dyads suggest this approach is individualized,…

Provides an overview of the 2+2 Tech Prep movement, including a summary of the U.S. Labor Department publication "What Work Requires of School," and Michigan's Tech Prep efforts. Describes a technical foundation or bridging program designed for individuals who desire an associate degree in a practical field but were inadequately prepared…

Virginia will pilot a program to send some community college graduates to several rural private colleges in an effort to improve educational access and help meet the anticipated growth in enrollments in the next decade. Some feel the state should expand existing public institutions instead. (MSE)

Surveyed 49 state supervisors and 36 Native American supervisors of child welfare programs in Arizona. Found that, although both groups reported similar levels of supervisory professionalization and job satisfaction, they differed in their ethnicity, their supervisory tasks, and their training needs. Tribal supervisors reported having more…

The Tennessee value-added assessment system (TVAAS) is described. TVAAS is a statistical process measuring the influence which school systems, schools, and teachers have on indicators of student learning. Initially, TVAAS will furnish information at the system level for grades three through eight in math, science, reading, language, and social…

Describes Pennsylvania's comprehensive child day care and early childhood development training system, focusing on the Early Childhood Education Linkage System (ECELS) and its immunization initiative. The initiative was established to improve the overall immunization status of all children in child day care in the state. (MDM)

The California Mentor Teacher Program is unique among statewide mentor teacher initiatives in its size, longevity, stipends for mentor teachers, and the discretion it allows local education agencies. The shared perspectives of a mentor, a local administrator, and a state administrator trace the legislative and policy history of this program. (SLD)

Describes the Iowa Communications Network, a statewide fiber optic network capable of transporting interactive, two-way audio, video, voice, and data signals. Topics include statewide cooperation among educational and state organizations; classroom design, including interactive classrooms; access to the Internet; and use by noneducational…

Offers a model for raising the level of technology expertise of K-8 classroom teachers based on a project at the University of Denver (Colorado) that sought to integrate computers with classroom curriculum, develop new inservice models for computer competency, and increase teachers' computer use. (Author/LRW)

Small rural schools incur greater expense and hardship to take advantage of staff development activities, usually held in cities or universities. The Iowa Intervention Initiative (III) overcame practical and logistic problems to hold teacher workshops for 79 small rural Iowa schools. Discusses III goals, recruitment of participants, selection and…

A project developed to increase public and professional awareness of fragile X syndrome in New Jersey resulted in increased efforts at diagnostic screening, provision of client and family support services, and prevention. The program proved to be a cost-effective method for increasing community awareness of a genetic disease on a statewide level.…