This paper presents thoughts resulting from review of proposals by state developmental disabilities authorities, submitted to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, that were designs for change initiatives in self-determination systems. These reflections on the use of service money and the provision of supports to people with developmental…

This paper presents personal reflections on factors in the preservation and stabilization of North American indigenous languages. All indigenous languages in North America are in danger of being lost. Linguistic and cultural minority communities must control the institutions that affect their lives if there is to be significant and sustainable…

One of a series of guides on implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), this guide focuses on the relevance of total quality management (TQM) principles to the ADA. First, the guide briefly explains both the ADA and TQM. Next, "reasonable accommodation" under the ADA is discussed and suggestions for using TQM to help…

The poverty affecting 14.5 million U.S. children living below the poverty line poses long-term effects, including risks to health, educational achievement, family stability, and employment prospects. This report provides compelling evidence of the substantial costs of poverty among children to our nation's economic well-being, and shows that…

In April 1999, the (Australian) Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs established a taskforce on making educational equality for Indigenous peoples a national priority; enhancing the performance and monitoring framework for the National Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives Programme (IESIP); and developing…

This theme issue of the newsletter SEDLetter contains articles about the challenges facing rural youth, communities, and schools, and the ways that rural schools are meeting those challenges. "When Rural Traditions Really Count" (Ullik Rouk) outlines the rural situation with regard to adolescent substance abuse, youth gangs, teen pregnancy,…

This book is dedicated to helping readers modify environments--classrooms, schools, communities--in ways that move away from resiliency depletion and toward resiliency building. The book is organized with emphasis on the concept of community. Part one, which includes the first two chapters, explores the meaning of resiliency and why it is so…

This transcript produces verbatim a workshop on advanced placement (AP), international baccalaureate (IB), and other challenging high school courses. The major goal of the proceedings was to increase access and improve preparation in high schools. The sessions addressed the common perception that AP courses are elitist but that the number of…

This transcript reproduces a Department of Education/College Board sponsored discussion on ways to expand advanced placement (AP) opportunities in high schools. The deliberations opened with a presentation by Phil Chavez, an assistant principal in San Antonio, Texas, who outlined the genesis and development of the AP program in his predominantly…

This comparison of standards-based reform with rural school improvement efforts that emphasize locally responsive, place-based curricula reveals differences and similarities in the two movements. The standards-based movement is focused on setting state and national standards that all students must meet, suggesting a common curricular focus. Most…

The Health Care Reform Tracking Project is a 5-year national project to track and analyze state health care reform initiatives as they affect children and adolescents with emotional/behavioral disorders and their families. The study's first phase was a baseline survey of all 50 states to describe current state reforms as of 1995. Among findings of…

The third of three interactive staff development units on discipline in early childhood classrooms, this multi-media pack explores a technique to help early childhood teachers discern what a child is trying to communicate through disruptive behavior, so they can resolve such behavior rather than just react to it. The 25-minute teaching videotape…

Managing antisocial behavior is a critical issue facing those who work with young children, as the presence of early socialization problems is the single greatest predictor of adolescent and adult antisocial behavior. This booklet highlights the effectiveness of behavior management strategies that introduce and reinforce positive behaviors, rather…

This report provides the framework for response to Nova Scotia's agreement with the government of Canada to invest in an early childhood development (ECD) strategy. The report begins with a list of guiding principles for child and family services. The major challenge for the ECD strategy is to identify the key areas of investment that will create…

Many mothers and fathers are parenting differently since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This booklet describes how parents are discovering new ways to strengthen and build upon their relationships with their children and provides advice to parents on how to help their children grow closer to them, to become caring and sharing people,…