The federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) has launched a five-year initiative that will support state efforts to build comprehensive early childhood service systems. This initiative--the State Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (SECCS) Initiative--provides planning and implementation grants to the state and territory Maternal and…

An evaluation addressed how existing services in England, especially the ConneXions career guidance service, reach or overlook groups of young people at the margins--those from minority ethnic groups who experience social exclusion and disaffection. Material from 2 sets of indepth interviews with 64 young people (most 16 and 17 years old) in 2…

The federal policy shift from skills training and toward work first strategies has come about, in part, from a misconception that "training does not work." A more comprehensive look at existing research reveals the documented effectiveness of skills training. A growing number of studies have shown skills training can increase earnings;…

The Annie E. Casey Foundation's Jobs Initiative is a six-city workforce initiative aimed at helping disadvantaged adults earn their way out of poverty. Between 1995 and 2002, the initiative enrolled more than 17,000 adults and placed 8,090 people in jobs. Most Jobs Initiative participants were working 18 months after enrollment in the program, and…

A study assessed the first two years of a three-year initiative to test the potential of extending sectoral employment strategies among 10 organizations, most of which were new to the sectoral employment field. Five organizations increasing low-income workers' access to good jobs were ARCH; PhAME; Training, Inc.; WIRE-Net; and Project QUEST. Five…

These case studies and analytic essays are intended to give the reader a richer understanding of when and how top managers succeed or fail in their efforts to use performance management (PM) systems to improve the functioning of federal, state, and local government in the United States (U.S.). The question mark in the title is intended to remind…

This report is a summary of the evaluation of the Nevada School-to-Careers (STC) Year 4 (1999-2000) implementation and the extent to which implementation supported eight messages STC is intended to send. Results from three surveys are included: Quantitative Benchmark Survey, School Implementation Profile, and Student Exit Survey. All regional…

The Phare Vocational Education and Training (VET) Reform Programme in Romania was evaluated in May-June 1999. According to the two evaluators who conducted intensive visits to 14 pilot and demonstration schools and met with 9 zonal and local development committees and key representatives of Romanian government and educational agencies, the VET…

Policy options for increasing the earnings of the young welfare recipients were explored by analyzing the incomes of nearly 12,000 young women in Baltimore, Maryland, whose 19th birthday fell between April 1, 1985, and March 31, 1989, and who had at least one spell of welfare dependency between their 19th and 29th birthdays. An analysis of the…

Part of a series designed to provide guidance for communities interested in building systems of care for children with emotional disturbances, this volume addresses mental health services for very young children and their families. A literature review was conducted, and four Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program…

This publication provides a synopsis of the issues, as identified in recent research reports, relating to non-completion of New Apprenticeships and Traineeships in Australia. Some of the key findings of the research reports are the following: (1) during the mid-1990s, non-completion rates were approximately 45 percent for trainees and between…

Funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this report examines strategies for linking the health and child care systems in an effort to improve poor children's health. Studies show that poor, African American and Latino children have less access to health care and worse health outcomes than middle-class or non-Hispanic white…

Aimhigher: Excellence Challenge (initially known as Excellence Challenge) was specifically established by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in 2001, with the aim of increasing the number of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who had the qualifications and aspirations necessary to enter higher education. The analysis conducted…

There is growing recognition of the impact of exposure to trauma on the social and emotional development of children and adolescents, and this recognition has spurred initiatives to improve the standard of care and increase the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of child trauma. Leaders of child traumatic stress (CTS) initiatives recognize…

This report examines state policies and performance in the areas of enrollment and affordability. The authors' goal was to better understand the Utah's generally good performance in "Measuring Up 2004: The National Report Card on Higher Education." Utah's historically strong performance, especially in terms of providing affordable higher…