Describes Virginia's statewide and community electronic resource access projects, including the Blacksburg Electronic Village, connected with Virginia Tech and the Internet; a public education network; a consortium of college and university libraries; the state library's digital initiative; and a cooperative library network. (LRW)

Describes the development of library technology and the need for telecommunications in a state with a lack of population density. Topics include the state library's role; shared library resources and library networks; government information; the Wyoming State Home Page on the World Wide Web; Ariel software; network coordinating; and central…

SCANSLink (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) is a statewide model for postsecondary faculty professional development in Texas. This article discusses SCANSLink's evolution into an Internet-accessible electronic newsletter and its design for viewer feedback and interaction though electronic mail and hypertext links. Focusing on…

Argues that the pendulum between federal and state education initiatives has swung to the states; reviews the extent to which state standards have incorporated the recommendations of "Geography for Life." Concludes that the translation of "Geography for Life" into state standards is uneven due to problems of accessibility. (DSK)

Analysis of data from state programs providing financial assistance for needy persons and disability prevalence data led to recommendations such as expanding access to health care and quality early childhood care for at-risk children, promoting the use of behavioral health services, lowering eligibility standards, and increasing the use of Social…

Reports expenditures on tobacco control programs in California schools since 1989 and data from students interviewed as part of the California Tobacco Surveys in 1990, 1993, and 1996. Results indicate that the provision of substantial money for tobacco control to schools from 1989-1997 was not sufficient to ensure that effective interventions were…

Presents similarities and differences between two learning assistance centers in liberal arts universities in Minnesota (USA) and New South Wales (Australia). Finds that differences appear to be based on academic learning tasks required of students. Compares programs offered by these two learning assistance centers based on historical trends and…

Explains why school libraries need to share resources and describes a number of projects that share physical, intellectual, and digital resources. Highlights include district union catalogs and integrated systems; consortia and community catalogs with public libraries; statewide union catalogs; statewide integrated systems; gateways; and statewide…

Examines the relationship between statewide implementation of comprehensive guidance and counseling programs and indicators of success and safety for seventh graders (N=22,601). Students attending schools with more fully implemented comprehensive programs reported: feeling safer attending schools; having better relationships with their teachers;…

A model of developmentally appropriate practice in helping teachers grow is described. The model derives from a consideration of the psychological processes by which adults learn, and our desire to teach adults by the same methods we hope they will use in teaching children. The model includes a sequence of six kinds of interactions that the…

Newborn screening has existed as a state-based public health service since the early 1960s. Every state and most territorial jurisdictions have comprehensive newborn screening programs in place, but in the United States a national newborn screening policy does not exist. This results in different administrative infrastructures, screening…

This article describes the North Carolina Youth Empowerment Study (NCYES), a 3-year participatory evaluation of youth programs addressing tobacco use prevention. The study goals of NCYES were to (1) convene an advisory board comprised of lay youths and adults in a participatory research process, (2) document the characteristics of youth programs…

A national commission formed to review the future of the 12th grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has recommended that the nation's primary barometer of student performance should expand dramatically to provide mandatory state results on the achievement of 12th graders and to measure their readiness for college, employment,…

Literacy assessments are transforming the contexts of secondary instruction. This article reports how literacy assessments are shaping the instructional choices of nine English Language Arts teachers who work in three different states in northeastern United States--New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Through interviews, the teachers reported…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Bill Gates Testifies Before Senate Committee: Microsoft Chairman Pushes for High School Reform, Says Every Child…