Kentucky's systemic reform initiative has been heralded as one of the more comprehensive and well-sustained reforms in recent history. To evaluate the course of this reform, the challenges associated with researching and evaluating a statewide systemic reform effort are detailed here. By using a description of the politics of evaluating systemic…

Large gains in scores have been observed over the first years of the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS) program. The extent to which these gains in scores indicate that student learning improved was evaluated. Previous studies have suggested that KIRIS score gains might be appreciably inflated, something that might result…

This report provides information regarding identification and education of gifted children in Ohio, based on data obtained from school districts on June 15, 1990. The report presents data on the number of gifted children who were identified, who received services in state-funded units, who received services in locally funded units, and who did not…

This annual report on gifted education programs in Arkansas outlines the status of recommendations made in prior reports and urges action on new recommendations, such as acquiring additional staff positions and ensuring that enrollment in gifted programs reflects the ethnic and economic makeup of the total school population. Appendices contain:…

This guide summarizes information and procedures from recent research on staff development and provides examples of staff development practices in Georgia school systems. Section 1 describes a new vision for staff development, with a focus on student development as a strategy for organizational change. Section 2 looks at the expanding role of the…

Parent enabling policies that have been initiated in five states are described in this report. In addition to the strong link between parental involvement and improvements in their children's educational performance, further evidence suggests that differences in child-rearing styles also affect child development and academic achievement. Policy…

This evaluation report of Oregon's early intervention programs describes the Oregon Preschool Assessment System, presents demographic information, and summarizes results of analysis of data on children's progress. It concludes that the infants and children enrolled (2,740 in 1991) are making substantial gains in all areas assessed. These gains…

Findings of a study that evaluated the effectiveness of the Minnesota Education Effectiveness Program (MEEP) are presented in this report. MEEP is a school-based program designed to improve the Minnesota educational system and is facilitated through ongoing staff development processes. The participating schools are supported by a statewide network…

This report analyzes the experiences of 27 states selected to participate in Carnegie Corporation of New York's Middle Grade School State Policy Initiative (MGSSPI), a 3-year grant program to states to stimulate fundamental reform in schools serving 10- to 15-year old students. MGSSPI states are working to radically transform the education…

A project to implement the Illinois Plan for Industrial Technology Education produced four major accomplishments: (1) 13 workshops were held on Communication Technology and Energy Utilization Technology; (2) workshop activity packets were produced in both subject areas; (3) a "Futuring Committee" was established that outlined a 10-year…

This document records the oral and written testimony given by witnesses at a Congressional hearing conducted to look at Oregon's efforts in school-business partnerships and school-to-work transition programs. Witnesses included representatives of federal and state agencies, private industries participating in the programs, and schools…

This document was developed in response to California Senate Bill No. 885, "The Endangered Species Education Project," that called for a statewide program in which schools adopt a local endangered species, research past and current efforts to preserve the species' habitat, develop and implement an action plan to educate the community…

This report is an overview of events that have taken place over the last 4 years to further efforts to make the arts part of what every schoolchild learns in every grade. The report recounts how the Arts in Schools Basic Education Grants (AISBEG), a targeted federal pilot project of the National Endowment for the Arts, has stimulated change at the…

This report documents results of a survey of the 52 members (the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico) of the National Association of State Scholarship and Grant Programs (NASSGP) which collected data concerning state-funded programs of scholarship or grant assistance for postsecondary students. Text sections present a summary and…

This publication offers information by region on state and other repayment, forgiveness, and scholarship programs for medical students. Each section offers fact sheets on the programs offered by the states in one of four regions: central, northeast, southern, and western. The final section contains information on other programs operated by…