There was a major change in Canadian student aid in the late 1990s, due largely to a package of measures adopted by the Government Canada as part of its "Canada Opportunities Strategy". At the time, what aroused the most comment was the creation in 1998 of the $2.5 billion Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation (Foundation). But while…

Different approaches for expanding quality early childhood education in the United States are investigated in this report. After a summary and an introduction, section 2 discusses the values and benefits associated with early childhood education programs. Section 3 provides a description of the workings of a public school-based system for 3- and…

In the 1992-93 school year, the 13th year of the Arizona Pupil Achievement Testing Program, the State Board of Education mandated testing at grades 4, 7, and 10. The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) were administered to grades 4 and 7 and the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP) at grade 10. Pupil scores are reported by subject, subtest,…

In 1989, the National Center on Education and the Economy created the Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. In its 1990 report, "America's Choice: High Skills or Low Wages!," the commission recommended that the United States build a new skills-development system. This document provides a progress report on reforms that followed the…

As part of the effort to create a labor force that is competitive across the world, Connecticut is planning a School-to-Career System that would give high school students the opportunity to extend learning into the community and workplace. The state would provide schools with information about the fastest-growing jobs and skills needed for…

The Maryland State Library Network exists to provide Maryland residents with rapid, easy access to information, materials, and services from any available information source. The network comprises a variety of formal and informal programs and activities; and it is supported by state, federal, and some local funds. The network facilitates…

The goals and guiding principles of the Maryland State Library Network are defined by the State Library Network Planning and Resource Sharing Task Force. The following goals are asserted: (1) state residents will have improved access to the state's information resources through the work of a State Library Network Coordinating Council; (2)…

This annual report discusses actions taken by the Connecticut Department of Higher Education's Minority Advancement Program (MAP) over the past 10 years to increase the numbers of disadvantaged high school students prepared for success in college, to increase student access and retention among underrepresented groups, and to increase the…

This report describes state educational standards in effect for the 1989-90 school year. It is the third report in a series that has tracked state standards since 1984-85. The first part of the report summarizes state educational standards for the 1989-90 school year and the changes that took place across the states between 1984-85 and 1989-90.…

As federal, state, and local policy makers attend to the economic, educational, social, and health-related needs of children, they are beginning to share a vision of a "seamless web" of high-quality, comprehensive, continuous services for children and their families. It remains a challenging goal because of the complexity of children's needs and…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of the Tennessee Outreach Project for Children and Youth Experiencing Dual Sensory Impairments. The project was designed to improve the capacity of state, regional, and local educational services in meeting the needs of learners with deaf-blindness and their families. Major goals were to…

This study analyzed the special education program evaluation practices of 49 states and the District of Columbia based on states' required reporting under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and on state plans. Comparison of the results with those from a 1984 study suggests the following trends: (1) an increase in the number…

This report describes the activities of Oregon's 25 high school-based health centers between 1992 and 1994. Information is provided on funding sources, services offered (including general medical services and reproductive health, mental health, health promotion services, and hours of operation), staffing (including levels of staffing and…

The experiences of 10 states described in this paper illustrate how higher education can be a constructive force for change in the schools, and how the changes taking place in school-based curriculum and assessment provide valuable lessons for collegiate reform. The 10 states profiled are California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, New…

A task force examined New York State's role in providing resources and information to employers desiring to upgrade the skills of their current workers. The following were the task force's 12 major findings: (1) upgrading the skills of New York's existing work force is vital to the state's economic future; (2) all workers need opportunities for…