In l998, Idahoans gathered in a series of six Regional Futures Conferences to identify what they thought was probable during the next ten years, what was possible for libraries to do and be, and what a preferred future of Idaho libraries might be. Participants from the regional conferences then convened to refine and focus descriptions of the…

This report discusses the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that require states to develop alternate assessments for students with disabilities who cannot participate in large-scale assessment programs. The report also profiles five state alternate assessment practices that have been developed or are emerging and…

Under the direction and leadership of the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education and the Alabama Department of Education, Workforce 21 was created as a response to the lack of skilled workers necessary to fill high-skill, high-wage jobs of the 21st century. More than 600 Alabamians representing industry, labor, parents, students,…

This working paper is a staff paper prepared to elicit discussion of issues as they relate to degree completion and persistence in Indiana's public postsecondary education. This is based on a requirement from the Indiana General Assembly for the Commission of Higher Education to "develop a definition for and report biennially on" degree…

Since 1993, the Delaware Department of Correction has offered a Life Skills Program in its four state prisons. Each year, as many as 300 inmates (of the 5,000 housed inmates) enroll in the program, and nearly 85 percent of them graduate. The 4-month program has three major components: academics, violence reduction, and applied life skills. The…

The purpose of the California State Library-sponsored project, InFoPeople, is to enhance access to information resources by providing points of public access to the Internet in public libraries throughout the state of California. This Stage 1 report represents an initial set of findings and issues related to the InFoPeople project and provides the…

This guide is designed to assist districts in developing and implementing Curriculum-Based Vocational Assessment (CBVA) as an integral part of the career/vocational program for students with disabilities. The document begins with a User's Guide that describes each part of the guide and makes suggestions for its use. Part 1 explains what CBVA is…

This monograph reports on a national survey of state higher education agencies concerning the current status of student transition data systems. The survey found that 48 states are currently addressing at least one of four student transition areas, with 42 states concerned with postsecondary education (PSE) to PSE transition, 33 states with K-12…

This document outlines the five-year Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) plan for the state of Wisconsin. Following a profile of the libraries in Wisconsin, this plan describes several priorities and LSTA funded activities for each of the following goals: (1) to ensure that libraries and library systems utilize technology to improve…

This document outlines the five-year Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) plan for the state of Iowa. The background of library services in Iowa is outlined, followed by the development of the Five-Year Plan. The new federal legislation authorizing LSTA offered Iowa an opportunity to (1) re-examine the strengths of Iowa libraries and what is…

This report focuses on one technology initiative, the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund (TLCF), and on five states as they attempted to implement the program in the first year of funding, 1997-98. The five states selected--Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Texas, and Washington--varied in their location, size, minority population, poverty…

The first section in this 31st annual report summarizes activities provided in Ohio through Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act during fiscal year 1996. Title I authorizes federally funded programs that prioritize educational needs of several groups of educationally disadvantaged children and deliver appropriate supplemental…

This issue of "The Future of Children" focuses on the daily care of infants and toddlers in the United States, highlighting information on caregiving arrangements, employer and government initiatives, promising strategies, and resources for use by journalists and policymakers. The guide begins with a summary of major findings related to…

States can use Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and state maintenance of effort (MOE) funds to foster access to postsecondary education (PE) for low income parents. Access matters because success of welfare reform depends on helping welfare recipients work steadily and find better jobs; neither of the two most commonly tried…

Since the minimum competency movement of the 1970s, the importance placed on standardized tests has increased significantly. The intent of this study was to investigate the effects of state testing programs on the instructional practices of elementary school teachers and the effects of such practices on their gifted students' attitudes toward…