This manual presents a process for creating public-private sector partnerships on state and regional levels focused on increasing job opportunities for people with disabilities. The manual's four chapters follow the recommended program planning process. The first chapter offers suggestions for building a cadre of consumer, private sector, and…

A survey of all colleges and universities in 13 western states was conducted by the Northwest Task Force on Higher Educational Information Technologies in mid-1984 to obtain information that could be used to: (1) describe current instructional applications of video, audio, and computer technologies; (2) facilitate networking among educators who…

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…

Regional training activities of campus-based women's centers, and needs assessment and evaluation studies of the National Women's Centers Training Project are discussed. The women's centers project at Everywoman's Center, University of Massachusetts, was designed to provide staff training in the following areas: power and leadership issues in…

This issue paper, meant to stimulate discussion within the employment and training community, offers three different perspectives on improving conditions in rural areas. However, all of these perspectives share common themes: a belief in the ability of rural areas to recover economically, a commitment to ensuring that this occurs, and the use of…

A report on a 1981 seminar on continuing education for primary health care, sponsored by the World Health Organization's Regional Office for Europe is presented. The main purpose of the seminar was to determine the characteristics of continuing education as a support measure for primary health care provision, based on an analysis of the…

This report summarizes the first year activities of the Library and Information Resources for the Northwest (LIRN) Program of the Fred Meyer Charitable Trust. LIRN is one of three regional programs of the Trust and is active in the states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. The LIRN Program is aimed at making needed information more…

The economic problems of localities in the U.S. fall into two broad categories. Problems of low income occur if a local economy supplies too few jobs, and if the jobs that do exist pay low wages or are in the low productivity sectors of the economy. Problems stemming from low economic growth are marked either by an absolute decline or by low…

The regional approach to postsecondary education in Minnesota is discussed in this publication. A review of the regional approach is provided along with articles on the program's impact in specific regions. The primary goal of the regional centers in Rochester, the Iron Range, and Wadena is to meet regional needs more efficiently and effectively…

This final report summarizes work performed by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) to develop a plan to regionalize optometric education in the western states. WICHE worked closely with a project advisory committee and the region's three schools of optometry to develop a regional plan. Personnel supply and demand in the…

The directory details formal and informal agencies and organizations and the programs and projects through which they provide services to rural populations in the United States and its territories. The book gives the level at which a program is offered, its primary focus, and its target population. The book's major divisions are based on program…

The Saskatoon Region Special Services Project is a cooperative effort to implement the Standards for Educators of Exceptional Children in Canada (SEECC) model, which stresses special education service delivery for rural areas through regular and resource teachers rather than extensive use of consultants and special classes. It emphasizes…

The meaning of accreditation and how it has evolved is discussed, and the relationship between accrediting agencies and the federal government is examined. Accrediting agencies derive from the federal government the power to designate which school shall be eligible for federal student assistance programs and/or a national recognition and stimulus…

The benefits of regional cooperation among small rural school districts are stressed in this brief description of the Educational Cooperative Service Unit (ECSU) currently serving 63,800 students in 104 member districts. A section on historical background traces the ECSU's forerunners, e.g., an educational media center established in 1965, the…