Analysis of several national surveys found that states collect a tremendous amount of data on educational outcomes, but little on the status of students with disabilities. Trends toward increasing local control concerning decisions of testing participation and accommodation strategies were found. The need for carefully planned inclusion of…

Results are presented of a national survey of state policies regarding identification of gifted students from special populations (culturally diverse families, economic disadvantagement, or gifted students with disabilities). Also considered is a followup study on the implementation of state policies in Ohio, Arkansas, and Texas. Future policy…

Conditions influencing conduct and impact of state-level program evaluation are explored. A model is offered as a guide for assessing conduct and impact, and its use is demonstrated by a case study contrasting the approaches of two states examining an issue raised by the Federal Health Care Financing Agency. (SLD)

This article provides an overview of issues that states must address in developing their early intervention personnel systems to best meet the demands of Public Law 99-457. Personnel issues include credentialling current staff, developing effective preservice systems and ongoing professional development systems, and determining personnel needs.…

This study evaluated the effectiveness and efficiency of the Georgia Cooperative School Programme which provides work experiences for high school students with mental retardation or other disabilities through coordination with rehabilitation services. Evaluation indicated the program appears to prevent some dropouts but improved interagency…

Instructional leadership is studied as practiced by 44 school site principals, all graduates of the California School Leadership Academy (CSLA), a 3-year program emphasizing leadership in the context of a state-initiated school reform strategy. The CSLA offers hope that effective training for instructional leadership can be broadly implemented.…

Effects of Ohio's mandatory seat belt law on seat belt use, number of car accidents, and number of fatal and severe injuries were evaluated for January 1982 through March 1988. The monthly average number of accident victims was 2,002. Implications for public policy formulation and implementation are discussed. (SLD)

Three articles discuss (1) networking of school and public libraries in Grosse Pointe, Michigan; (2) the Access Pennsylvania project that provides a CD-ROM union catalog of high school, public, academic, and special library collections in Pennsylvania; and (3) teaching online searching with Dialog's Classmate service in a high school library. (MES)

The University of California's (Los Angeles) Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing survey of state assessment directors reveals that about 25 states currently study or develop performance assessments. Obstacles to statewide use of performance assessments were expressed. The new Student Assessment Exchange should…

Teacher testing-related attitudes and practices related to court-ordered achievement testing were studied through a mail survey completed by 79 elementary school teachers in a midwestern urban district. Teachers engaged in a large number of test preparation practices and reported finding minimal value in purpose or results of testing. (SLD)

This survey of educators examined validity issues in Arizona's program of authentic assessment of written communication. The paper concludes that authentic measures lack meaningful standards. Major flaws were reported in the areas of "fairness,""transfer and generalizability,""content quality," and…

The results of a survey conducted on the background, education, attitudes, and practices of North Carolina's elementary teachers to develop a statewide inservice program are presented. Elementary teachers' perceptions of teaching language arts, social studies, mathematics, and science; use of instructional materials; and experiences and needs for…

Evaluation procedures used in teacher performance assessment systems in 12 states of the Southern Regional Education Board area are described. Twenty-two trained evaluators from 10 states viewed videotaped lessons and applied their own evaluation standards to enable comparison of outcomes of evaluation. Similarities and differences are discussed.…

The current status of state mental retardation/developmental disability agency information systems related to day and employment programs for persons with disabilities is described. Data regarding the number and characteristics of persons served in various day-employment programs and the funding sources are summarized. Suggestions regarding data…

Presents observations and lessons drawn from two years of Kentucky school reform. Implementing the Kentucky School Reform Act of 1990 teaches that reforming schools also requires addressing the ways in which communities raise their children. Community work, with parent and student participation, improves family conditions and political decision…