This report recommends good practices for writing a course outline of record that meets Title 5 regulations as well as the expectations of a college's external constituents. Topics covered include: (1) Catalog Description, a brief account of course content; (2) Class Schedule Description, an abbreviated version of the catalog description; (3)…

This paper presents a five-year plan for the improvement of Pennsylvania's system of services for people with mental retardation and their families. It was developed over an 18-month period by 70 people, including people with disabilities, family members, advocates, providers of service, legislative staff, and county and state government…

This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of a federally funded project designed to address the safe and legal implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for young children who required invasive health care procedures. To accomplish the project objectives three annual, interdisciplinary conferences were held to…

This document is comprised of the 12 monthly issues of the 1998 "Child Support Report," which explores problems related to child support enforcement, reports on federal and state government child support enforcement initiatives, and summarizes research related to child support. Editorials and information on events and conferences of…

This report provides the latest available data and analysis of California's teaching workforce and the challenges confronting the state's educators and policy-makers. While the report finds progress toward reducing the shortage of teachers, it raises concerns about low student achievement and the implications for the state's ability to meet the…

A project investigated Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI)-developed proposals designed to strengthen User Choice. (The ability of employers and employees to select a training provider of their choice, providing it is registered in their state or territory, is known as "User Choice.") Stage 1 analyzed the ACCI position,…

SABIS International Charter School was among 24 Commonwealth charter schools included in a study undertaken by the Office of the Inspector General in March 1998. The Office identified weaknesses in the contracting practices, procurement procedures, and financial management. Findings include: (1) the Board of Trustees did not employ sound business…

Despite the mantra that education is primarily a state responsibility, the federal government is an important and influential player when it comes to providing higher education to the nation's students. The federal government invests roughly $25 billion annually in higher education excluding loans that are ultimately repaid, military benefits that…

West Virginia Bill 300 (Jobs Through Education Act) requires all students in grades 1-11 to take the Stanford Achievement Test. A minimum of 50 percent of a school's students in grades 3-11 must perform in the third quartile or the school will be considered deficient. A clause in the bill states that all students will be tested except those…

Citizens can play an important role in helping their states develop pollution control programs and spurring effective efforts to deal with nonpoint-source pollution. This guide takes the reader step-by-step through the process that states must follow to comply with water quality legislation relevant to nonpoint-source pollution. Part I provides…

Aggressive intervention by a school-choice coalition and supportive elected officials turned back threats to the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) posed by burdensome state regulation of private schools. MPCP continues to expand, studies report academic gains, parents are satisfied and involved, and public support has grown. Supporters of…

This handbook presents state guidelines for alternative education in Mississippi, which is designed to serve as a learning alternative placement for students who have had difficulty with the regular classroom environment or who have experienced disciplinary problems in the classroom or school. The handbook contains the following sections: (1)…

The purpose of this document is to assist Florida school districts in implementing the General Educational Development (GED) Exit Option Model for students at risk of not completing high school. Students must be at least 16 years of age and currently enrolled in high school to take the GED tests through the GED Exit Option Model. In addition, the…

Background checks involve gathering information from state and federal databases to determine if child care providers have a history of child abuse or other criminal convictions that would make them unacceptable for working with children. Background checks include state criminal history checks, state child abuse registry checks, and Federal Bureau…

This document provides a layperson's introductory guide to researching primary legal materials, as well as using secondary research tools, in the Sarita Kenedy East Law Library at St. Mary's University (Texas). The guide includes the following sections: (1) Guide to Legal Abbreviations; (2) How To Find a Law Journal Article; (3) Legal Dictionaries…