Presenting summarized transcripts of sessions at the Michigan Department of Education's second Curriculum Integration Workshop held in Traverse City, Michigan from July 15-18, 1996, this proceedings describes the state's project to integrate academic curricula into vocational programs at the community college level. Following an overview of the…

A survey was conducted of Colorado postsecondary career and technical programs in 1995 to gauge how the state has responded to mandates of the Carl Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act of 1990. Results were reported for the first three of nine standards developed by a statewide committee in 1992. The three standards require postsecondary…

This report to the Mississippi Legislature presents the findings of a review of the central office of the State Board of Trustees of Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL). The review committee sought to determine if the accounting practices and external controls over the IHL central office ensured an adequate level of accountability for public…

The Refugee English Language Training (ELT) Task Force, convened by the California State Department of Social Services, collected and reviewed records of refugee ELT programs statewide, conducted site visits and public input meetings, and reviewed literature concerning adult basic education and refugee literacy education. The study and results are…

Families undergo difficulties in trying to negotiate the labyrinth of early childhood services offered in Illinois. Because of the multiplicity of programs and scarce funding, many children and families do not receive the services they need. Coordination among programs and services is also limited. This paper offers background on how the…

This guide outlines strategies to be used by rural school districts when applying for grants in New York State. The first section addresses the impact of recent federal program reductions and restructuring that have significantly reduced overall federal spending on state education programs. Both federal and state governments are moving away from…

A study was conducted to identify and measure theoretical dimensions of teacher empowerment in 307 venture capital schools in Ohio. (The Ohio state legislature established venture capital grants to support school improvement; these grants serve as catalysts for local schools to redesign their internal structures.) Data were gathered from 4,091…

This guide is for teachers, tutors, counselors, and others working with adult learners in programs of literacy, adult basic education, General Educational Development test preparation, and English as a Second Language. It is a compendium of short articles written by 50 adult basic educators in Pennsylvania. The articles provide background…

As part of its academic testing program and the evaluation of academic achievement, the Des Moines (Iowa) Public School System administers two standardized, norm-referenced achievement tests. These are the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED). This document provides information regarding…

In 1994, as part of an ongoing study of the quality and effects of large-scale educational assessments, RAND began a series of studies of Kentucky's assessment, the Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS). KIRIS is a cornerstone of Kentucky's education reform program. It exemplifies several key themes of current assessment-based…

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), with the help of its Educational Technology Cooperative and its Wide Area Networking Task Group, designed a survey to identify the computer networking resources in the 15 SREB states. The survey was conducted to identify: (1) the various statewide educational networks in each of the SREB states; (2)…

In 1997, America needs to launch a new Marshall Plan, equivalent to the original Marshall Plan that was established to help fund Europe's recovery from World War II. The new Marshall Plan must be directed at America's own urban public school systems. The Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) is announcing a five-part framework for an Urban…

New York State's New Ventures program, a comprehensive 21- to 24-week career exploration and job skills training program to help low-income women prepare for economic self-sufficiency through employment in higher-paying nontraditional occupations, was evaluated through a 5-year formative outcomes-based evaluation process. Program data (including…

In the 1995-96 school year, the 16th year of the Arizona Pupil Achievement Testing Program, the state Board of Education mandated testing for grades 4, 7, and 10. The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) were administered at grades 4 and 7, and the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP) at grade 10. Test scores are reported by subject, subtest,…

The system for financing education in Illinois fails to deliver sufficient resources to the school districts that need them most. Although no individual or administrative unit acts to deprive particular groups, the system as a whole does. Using Census figures, state and local tax records and information from the Illinois Board of Education, this…