Provides an overview of adoption statistics and describes data available regarding adoption arrangements and the characteristics of parents who relinquish children, of children who are adopted or in substitute care, and of adults who seek to adopt. Recommends the establishment of a national data collection system for adoption statistics.…

The use of peer review for federal research impact evaluation is described. Advanced review processes can improve the efficiency of a review, but the most important factors in a quality review are leader motivation and the competence and independence of review team members. No single method provides complete impact evaluation. (SLD)

Describes development of the U.S. service-learning movement: early roots; American Youth Foundation and National Youth Leadership Council leadership camps for youth, which combined adventure, performing arts, and social justice themes; the campaign to implement an integrated statewide youth-service model in Minnesota; creation of AmeriCorps; and…

A survey of 40 directors of the Randolph-Sheppard Vending Facility Program (more often known as the Business Enterprise Program), which provides legally blind persons with employment operating vending facilities on federal property, indicated that legally blind women are significantly underrepresented, making up about 24% of the licensed facility…

A study examined the predictability of student persistence and achievement, based on Scholastic Assessment Test scores, high school rank, mother's education, birth order, and study-skills course grade, in a group of students served by a federal Student Support Services program. Some variables (SAT scores, study-skills course grade) were more…

Explains that the Internet is a good source of information and misinformation about the rights that Canadians do and do not enjoy. Provides websites that address human rights issues, such as government and non-governmental organizations, and information for locating newsgroups and listservs. (CMK)

This annual directory lists supportive and rehabilitative programs for people with deafness or hearing impairments including federal programs, state vocational rehabilitation offices, regional and local programs, national professional organizations and centers, the National Association of the Deaf, and professional committee members. (DB)

Teachers implementing a local history project in Belmont, California, had help from a federally funded technology innovation challenge grant: the Challenge 2000 Multimedia Project. Sponsored by a Silicon Valley school-business partnership, the initiative illustrates how technology can transform classroom learning while supporting instructional…

Highlights program strategies to support families as they adjust to changes in welfare policy. Core strategies noted include using early childhood programs as a resource, adapting early childhood programs to better meet family needs, promoting access to high-quality child care, linking early childhood programs and welfare agencies, and creating…

Changes in federal policy affecting rural development in economically distressed areas in 2001 include new markets initiatives, establishment of the (Mississippi River) Delta Regional Authority, and increased infrastructure funding. Infrastructure priorities include highway construction, airport improvements, public works grants, rural…

Since the 1970s, federal, state and local governments have launched an array of new high technology development programs. Researchers and policy-makers disagree about the relative merits of these policies. We address the effects of seven of these policies on high tech industry employment growth in metropolitan statistical areas in the United…

Justin S. Morrill of Vermont began advocating for the Land Grant Act in the 1850s. The act's passage in 1862 provided a grant of 30,000 acres of public land for each member of a state's congressional delegation, to be sold to raise funds for the creation of agricultural and engineering colleges. While the original Land Grant provided grants of…

Published annually since 1997, Newark Kids Count tracks key trends in child health and well-being in New Jersey's largest city with the latest statistics available. Newark Kids Count includes the latest statistics, along with five-year trend data, in the following areas: population and demographics, family economic security, affordable housing,…

The "No Child Left Behind Act" (NCLB, 2001) required schools to make adequate yearly progress, use disaggregated data in planning, and employ highly-qualified teachers. The school leaders became those responsible for the success of the school. In South Carolina the Department of Education has recently sought to address adequacy needs…

The "Local Technology Plan Guidelines" serve as the basis for the Department's annual technology data collection. This report takes a look at the data submitted by 344 school districts, examining the progress Massachusetts school districts are making in meeting the recommended guidelines. In doing so, it will gauge the degree to which…