This document presents findings of an independent committee that was organized by the Twentieth Century Fund to study the Federal role in shaping educational policy, and includes the comprehensive background paper (prepared by Paul E. Peterson) on which the task force discussions were based. The report describes current problems in elementary and…

The role of teachers serving as policy board members of the Metrolina Educational Consortium (MEC) in North Carolina is discussed. The MEC is concerned with teacher education programs and is composed of classroom teachers, college representatives, local education agency staff, and state education department staff. The board members are mandated to…

This report describes the purpose, process, and outcomes of the Symposium on "Policy and Program Issues Related to Child and Family Services to Black Americans," sponsored by the Division of Black American Affairs of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). In stage one of the symposium task group activities, the participants, who came…

The Special Committee on Educational Technology of the National Education Association (NEA) was given the task of reviewing the status of educational technology in the public schools and making recommendations for appropriate NEA policy and programmatic activities. Topics discussed in this report include technology and change in both the…

In 1988, the Basic Skills Task Force was established to assess the effectiveness of four academic policies in addressing the needs of California community college students with skills deficiencies. The policies define the scope and content of Adult Basic Education and of Precollegiate Basic Skills Instruction in nondegree-applicable credit…

The purposes of this report to the New Jersey Legislature are: (1) to provide a brief historical overview of the work of the New Jersey Child Care Advisory Council from 1984 to 1987; (2) to inform the legislature of the status of the council's recent activities; and (3) to make recommendations to the legislature for future action. The introduction…

A survey was conducted to determine states' progress towards developing a definition for developmentally delayed infants and toddlers as required by Public Law 99-457, Part H. Results of the survey, conducted in the summer of 1988, indicated that many states had made a great deal of progress toward developing a policy regarding the definition of…

This document is a thematically organized summary of the proceedings of a seminar that included presentations and reactions to presentations by a field of international researchers on the effects of worldwide structural change on employment, education, and training in the service sector. The papers presented are part of a 10-country study of labor…

The paper reports on efforts of the Thakur Hari Prasad Institute (THPI), an Indian voluntary agency, to improve services to persons with mental retardation in the developing nation of India. THPI is involved in both institutional and non-institutional activities, development of national policy, and action research. One project has provided early…

This report examines the status of America's children and families in 1989, and confirms that major demographic, social, and economic changes during the past two decades have had profound effects on individual and family life. After an introduction, contents organized in 125 subsections focus on numerous dimensions of population and residence,…

This inventory was developed to serve as a working tool to help local education agencies review existing policies and practices that may negatively affect students' achievement and encourage their dropping out, especially in grades 7 through 12. The following areas are covered: (1) instruction; (2) discipline; (3) support services; (4) attendance;…

This synthesis report summarizes a conference organized to examine the current situation regarding the continuing education and training of adults in the European Community and to formulate proposals for action. Some 60 conference participants examined various research reports, conducted discussions, and presented papers on three major topics:…

Most of the nonmetropolitan poor live in a household with at least one worker. In 1987, 70% of nonmetro poor family heads who were not ill, disabled, or retired worked for at least part of the year, and 24% worked full time, year-round. The employed proportion of the poor was significantly larger in nonmetro than metro areas. Despite a lengthy…

This report describes 80 exemplary projects that were identified in a national survey of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Title III projects. It examines the likely reasons for the success of eight of the projects and discusses the policy implications of the eight case studies. Of these eight projects only one (the job training project in…

Blue ribbon commissions in the United States from 1965-1983 are discussed with attention to what makes a commission effective, the history of blue ribbon commissions, features of a commission, whether these commissions are useful on campus, and criticisms of blue ribbon commissions. Factors that contribute to the effectiveness of a blue ribbon…