A needs sensing confirmation study was conducted to identify the Appalachia Educational Laboratory's (AEL) long term research and development program needs and provide guidelines for its seven member states' activities. The AEL Board of Directors, individuals serving in similar positions as the Board members, and a sample of non-public school…

Public libraries are currently the conduit for local, state, and federal funds used to support reference referral and other reference-related functions in California. Given potential funding constraints, this 5-month study expanded its original scope--to assess the cost effectiveness and efficiency of the Bay Area Reference Center (BARC) and the…

The Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) at New York independent colleges and universities is described. Information is provided on eligibility and admission to a HEOP; remedial and developmental courses; tutorial services; academic, personal, and career counseling; financial aid; and economic eligibility criteria. HEOP provides supportive…

Eight papers presented at a 1-day conference on poverty in Wisconsin are collected in this volume. The first six papers focus on poverty within the state and its effects on particular groups such as women, racial minorities, the elderly, and those in rural areas. The last two papers examine these findings in light of current poverty programs and…

A third-party evaluation of the Texas coordinated vocational-academic education (CVAE) program was conducted in 1984-85 to determine the effectiveness of CVAE as a vocational program for meeting the needs of secondary students who are unsuccessful in traditional academic programs. A project advisory committee was established, a review of…

The process used by the Texas Education Agency to update public school teacher certification tests in a statewide program in Texas is described. The testing program implemented is called the Examination for the Certification of Educators in Texas. After a policy review, advisory committees for 63 test areas prepared content frameworks, created…

A study was undertaken to describe assessment activities of four school districts in Maryland (Washington, Cecil, Montgomery, and Charles Counties) designed to parallel a state-mandated competency-testing program required for high school graduation and to report uses of scores and positive and negative impacts from assessment activities. The…

This paper describes efforts in Oregon to improve school services for students with orthopedic impairments. A state technical assistance team was created which worked with regional coordinators. The team established the following goals: providing physical and occupational therapy that is delivered by a team, is directly related to the child's…

This report provides an overview of major differences between current law and the House and Senate versions of educational legislation (H.R. 5) expected to be considered early in the second session of the 100th Congress, as well as a side-by-side comparison of the current and proposed legislation. Program areas covered in both the overview and the…

In 1983 a number of reports were issued calling for the reform of elementary and secondary education in the United States. This paper describes a methodology for a study that will compare and contrast reliable information across the southeastern states about the implementation of actual reform initiatives, using a framework of 41 major categories…

To improve learning and the work lives of teachers, in 1985 Massachusetts enacted Chapter 188, the Public School Improvement Act, which establishes and implements a system for testing and evaluating school and student performance. Since Chapter 188 was implemented, Massachusetts schools have improved faster than the national rate. Proposals for…

The Middle College High School (MCHS) in Tennessee is an alternative school located on the Shelby State Community College (SSCC) campus, designed to provide special counseling, college preparation, and access to SSCC facilities for potential high school dropouts who have the capacity for secondary and postsecondary success. The program, which was…

This project was conducted to determine how best to serve the needs of rural vocational education students in Arizona. The study examined the literature on delivering instruction in such a manner that graduates of all vocational programs have equal opportunity, equal access, and equal competitiveness in the marketplace. Problems in supplying…

This paper is divided into the following sections: (1) State Capacity and Education, with regard to financial resources and policymaking ability; (2) State Education Reforms; (3) States and the Disadvantaged: A Historical Perspective; (4) Education Reform and At-Risk Youth; and (5) Recent Trends in Programs for the Disadvantaged. The capacity and…

This paper reviews the economic and political science literature, and the literature on Chapter 1/Title I in order to identify policy options that retain adequate fiscal accountability as well as insure program quality. Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 is the successor to Title I of the Elementary and Secondary…