In the 1990s, the nation's educational focus turned to troubled schools in the nation's poorest cities. Under the leadership of Luther Williams, then Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Urban Systemic Initiative was created to improve the teaching and learning of science and mathematics. Recognizing that high-needs…

"The Achiever" is a monthly newsletter designed expressly for parents and community leaders. Each issue contains news and information about school improvement in the United States. The highlights of this issue include: (1) Report Finds U.S. Higher Education in Need of Change; (2) Meeting a Critical Need: Foreign Languages, Academic Rigor…

The National Longitudinal Evaluation of Comprehensive School Reform (NLECSR) is a quantitative and qualitative study of behavior, decisions, processes, and outcomes. It employs a quasi-experimental design with matched treatment and comparison schools. NLECSR seeks to determine the effects of CSR models on student achievement in about 650…

Adequate yearly progress (AYP) on No Child Left Behind criteria was examined for a randomly selected sample of districts that qualify for the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP). The sample involved 10% of districts that were eligible for the Small Rural Schools Achievement (SRSA) program and 10% that were eligible for the Rural and…

This monograph presents results of a 6-month study of the federal government and the Clinton Administration's proposal for a decade-long process of re-inventing the federal government's operations. Each of four major principles are presented in a chapter organized around specific steps towards its implementation. These principles are: cutting red…

This monograph on vocational rehabilitation programs and future directions contains papers from the 1994 Switzer Seminar. Contents are as follows: "State/Federal Program Issues and Trends" (Nell C. Carney); "Consumerism and Choice: Basic Standards for Judging Efforts and Expectations in the Vocational Rehabilitation Process" (Patricia A.…

There are great parallels between the School-to-Work Opportunities Act and the legislation which produced transition services for individuals with disabilities. The rationale is clearly the same: a real recognition and concern exists about the difficult transition that faces all high school graduates as they prepare to live on their own, assume…

The guide provides analysis and guidance on issues that arise in serving limited-English-proficient (LEP) students through Title I of the Improving America's Schools Act. It is intended for Title I coordinators at state and local levels and administrators of related programs serving LEP students. The guide presents the issues in the order in which…

This book focuses on the psychological, social, and cultural factors that influence the achievement of black youth who are gifted or potentially gifted, the prevention of underachievement, and appropriate interventions in cases of underachievement. The roles that families, educators, peers, and students themselves must play in promoting the…

This report compiles data on three 5-year federally sponsored dropout prevention programs: ALAS (Achievement for Latinos through Academic Success), the Belief Academy, and Check & Connect. The introduction to the report presents background information on the dropout problem and related issues that face youth with learning and emotional…

This document contains four papers presented at a symposium on career development and special needs moderated by James M. Brown at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD). "Differential Rates of Employer Sponsored Job Training by Demographic Characteristics among Executives, Administrators, and Managers"…

A 1991 conference provided a forum where workplace educators could analyze their experience. Participants agreed that establishing a partnership between business or labor organizations and education providers was a key step in developing an effective workplace literacy program. Participants also saw the importance of curriculum development to…

Meeting highlights and a background briefing report are provided from a policy seminar, one in a series of monthly staff seminars titled "Family Centered Social Policy: The Emerging Agenda." The highlights summarize remarks by three panelists. Alan Hershey describes the Teenage Parent Demonstration in New Jersey and Illinois and…

This report contains abstracts of 29 projects funded under the Adult Education National Research Program. The projects are of six types: studies of effective practices and programs, national impact studies, descriptive studies, developmental and design studies, commissioned papers, and technical assistance. Some of the projects examined cover the…

This briefing paper presents a synthesis of data on early eligibility determination which provides middle- and secondary-school students and their parents with individualized information about their eligibility for financial aid to pay for higher education. This information is intended to be provided at a time when decisions must be made about…