This report describes five state systems of support in low-performing schools. Discussion of each state system includes a description of the accountability system, the process for identifying low-performing schools, funding resources available, the technical assistance provided, the provider of that assistance, and the resources used to support…

This publication presents guidelines for parents and educators in making appropriate decisions about participation in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MACS) tests for students with disabilities, and it describes commonly used test accommodations. State law requires the participation in MCAS of all students who are educated with…

This document contains issues eight and nine of the 1999 Australian Early Intervention Network for Mental Health in Young People newsletters for health professionals. The newsletters disseminate information about the national and local initiatives for intervention and prevention of mental health problems in young children and youth. The issues…

This paper reviews evaluations of social programs and major approaches to program evaluation. Its purpose is to examine the roles that philosophy, ideology, key audiences, preferred methods, and typical evaluation questions can play in the practices of contemporary evaluators. The report describes the Learning Connections Projects, a program that…

This guide, intended to be used collaboratively, was designed for a broad-range of community groups. It is meant to encourage education leaders to use its material as a guide and as support throughout the continuous-improvement process for partnership planning, development, implementation, management, monitoring/evaluation, and long-term…

This study uses a historical perspective to examine the interface of the Maryland Juvenile Justice Department and the Mental Hygiene Administration in their efforts to provide services to youth involved with the juvenile justice system who were found to have mental disorders. A time line was constructed documenting developments from the 16th…

Recent literature on school counseling has focused on the need for new directions for school counseling and redefined roles for school counselors. However, since the 1984 supplement to the High School and Beyond (HS&B) survey, no national data have been collected to describe guidance counseling programs and activities. To help address this lack of…

This report explores the relationship between teachers' implementation of different aspects of the America's Choice program and the learning gains of their students. It draws on data from Plainfield, New Jersey, where teachers' survey responses about America's Choice schools were linked to the test gains of the students who were taught by those…

This paper examines the Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE). Begun in 1993, MISE had two stated goals: raise the interest, participation, and performance of public-school students in science; and demonstrate to other businesses that direct, focused involvement would hasten improvements in science teaching and learning in public schools.…

This study investigated the ways in which youth organizations support families, highlighting the role of youth organizations in strengthening youth and their families; what youth organizations need to know and do to enhance their prospects for successfully supporting/strengthening youth and their families; and the type of external supports and…

School-based planning for instructional improvement has been a major national education reform focus for over 2 decades. However, many efforts proposed to put schools in charge of their own instructional operations delivered only increased discretion rather than real autonomy over internal operations, such as budgeting. In 1997, New York City…

This document provides a one-page summary of the policies, programs, and requirements of each state in the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) relative to the transition from high school to college and careers. The policies described are: (1) high school graduation requirements, including curriculum and tests; (2) early outreach programs…

This article highlights the untended mental health needs of children across the United States. Citing troubling mental health statistics, the author suggests creating a community culture that does not stigmatize or ignore mental health problems, specifically by making prevention and treatment the rule. One of the potential stumbling blocks…

This Action Plan has been developed to ensure the success of the Arkansas Smart Start Initiative, the part of the Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment and Accountability Program (ACTAAP) that focuses on grades K through 4. As do other aspects of the ACTAAP, the Smart Start Initiative has four components, each of which is described here: (1)…

Wake Summerbridge is an enrichment program that has supported selected Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) (North Carolina) middle school students for a number of years. This evaluation compared subsequent academic performance, suspensions, and dropout rates of students who had participated in the program with a comparison group of students…