A study examined the use of, and the need for, the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act funding reserves for sex equity programs and programs for displaced homemakers, single parents, and single pregnant women. Of 34 local program operators interviewed, 17 received sex equity grants, and 22 received displaced homemaker,…

When elementary and middle level students lack effective problem-solving skills, they may make poor behavior choices in social conflicts, contributing to a negative learning and instructional environment. This action research project evaluated the impact of using social skills instruction to improve students' ability to solve problems related to…

This paper discusses attempts made by the author to reinvigorate the College Honors Program at Union County College in New Jersey (UCC). Created in 1985 to offer an enriched learning experience for exceptional liberal arts students, the Honors Program helps students develop their thinking skills and achieve academic success. However, due to…

This report describes the Productivity Training Project (PTP), a partnership between the University of Southern Colorado and Latino Chamber of Commerce (LCC) of Pueblo. The project provided "new economy skills" training to employees of LCC member businesses and basic skills training to the unemployed or underemployed. The report explains…

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a federally funded program that was designed to address the shortage of qualified early intervention personnel in rural areas of Kansas and adjacent states. Forty-seven early childhood special education (ECSE) students were supported with stipends during the three years of the project.…

This report analyzes the first year of the Federal Alternative Financing Program (AFP), a program designed to help individuals with disabilities who need to purchase assistive technology (AT) find a way to pay for the equipment. The program receives funding under Title III of the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 and provides low-cost financing for…

The Greater Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Literacy Council (GPLC) is a volunteer-based literacy council that provides adult basic and literacy education services to the area's citizens. The GPLC conducted an action research project to determine whether adding monthly meetings for professional teaching staff and providing opportunities for interaction…

High school graduates from a self-selected group of school districts in Texas were surveyed early in the year after graduation regarding the extent to which they were engaged in activities endorsed by the state's School-to-Careers (STC) initiative during their senior year in high school. Since the STC initiative had only begun during these…

Connecticut's Jobs First program, which began operating in January 1996, combines a time limit on welfare receipt with generous financial work incentives and requires recipients to participate in employment-related services targeted toward rapid job placement. The impacts of the Jobs First program were examined by following several thousand…

San Francisco Works (SFWorks) is a collaborative welfare-to-work project conducted by a coalition of large San Francisco-area employers, the city's Chamber of Commerce, and the United Way of the Bay Area. The project was piloted beginning in March 1998 by contracting with five community-based organizations (CBOs) to provide a comprehensive range…

This action research project evaluated the effectiveness of a program to enhance students' social skills with peers. The targeted population was comprised of elementary and junior high school students in an economically diverse, predominantly blue collar community in central Illinois. The problem of inability to problem solve, listen actively,…

This book is designed to assist evaluators of nonformal education (NFE) and adult education programs in their continuing professional education and in the task of improving their capacities for genuinely formative, informative, and participatory assessment of educational practice. Fourteen chapters are organized into five sections. Section 1…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) examined worksite-based activities currently in place to help recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) develop the skills required for successful transition to unsubsidized employment. Data were collected from the following sources: (1) data reported by states to the Department of Health and…

This report examines implementation and impacts of Ramsey County's Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), a "work first" program. Chapter 1 lists key findings, provides an overview of the Ramsey County variant (MFIP-R) evaluation, and policy relevance of MFIP-R. Chapter 2 describes key features of MFIP-R and compares them with…

Project STRIDE was conducted at Keys Community Center in Phoenix, Arizona, to create job linkages and prepare local people for jobs in distressed areas through relationships among residents, employers, and service providers. The project's components include a community jobs team, group employability training, goal-setting, computer training, job…