Courses delivered over the World Wide Web can help states meet the academic needs of all students. Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states are creating state virtual schools to support and manage the efficient, effect use of Web-based courses. Florida and Kentucky have invested significant funds, personnel, and time, and Maryland, Texas,…

Developed for the America Reads initiative, this paper presents the LEARNS (Linking Education and America Reads through National Service) Literacy Assessment Profile (LLAP), a student assessment system that is designed to improve providers' ability to deliver high quality literacy programs to students, assess students' literacy understanding, set…

Success by Eight is a pilot program of the Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools for students in kindergarten through grade 2. The initiative is designed to provide a group of six pilot schools with training and additional resources in implementing a specific set of components to prepare students for the third grade. These components are: (1)…

This report presents the findings of year 2 (July 1998-June 1999) of the third-party evaluation of the effectiveness of the Oregon Structure of Intellect (SOI) Model Schools Pilot Program, a program based on the learning theories and Structure of Intellect model attributed to J. Guilford. The SOI program, developed by R. and M. Meeker, uses a…

Federal rules allow states to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds to help pay for a child care tax credit. States also have the option to count a portion of the cost of a child care tax credit toward their "maintenance of effort" requirements under the TANF program. There is an important limitation on…

This paper considers what happens when research-based strategies are attempted outside the context of the original research and questions whether positive findings from research studies can be generalized to real-world settings. Prevention programs within a school system were identified and an activities questionnaire was developed to measure each…

This study evaluated how college students reacted to an Early Alert notice about their grades. Undergraduate students in 19 specific courses were sent a notice if they were receiving a C minus or below at the 5-week point of the semester. The study investigated whether students who received the notice actually performed better than did control…

This document offers practical guidelines and suggestions to assist those responsible for reviewing, evaluating, developing, and implementing general education curricula. Emphasis is placed on collaborative practices, ongoing open communication, thorough planning, and reliable information, with the aim of facilitating the process of renewing a…

This bill was presented before the Congress of the United States of America to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. One section in the amendment focuses on improving basic programs operated by local educational agencies, and covers the activities and applications of the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse (ENC). This document…

Unemployment insurance is a cooperative federal and state program that provides temporary, partial wage replacement to formerly employed people who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. This issue brief discusses the program and its importance as an approach to ameliorate the effects of welfare reform on struggling families. The brief…

Every year the state of North Carolina requires an English II writing test as part of the End of Course examinations. The purposes of the English II tests are to assess students' mastery of writing, application of grammatical skills, and achievement in literary analysis. This report contains information about the test performance of students in…

In August 1998, the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), North Carolina, adopted a goal statement that specified that by 2003, 95% of students tested would be at or above grade level as measured by the North Carolina End-of-Grade (EOG) tests at grades 3 and 8. This report defines that goal operationally and defines the terms used to describe…

This hearing focused on a bill to amend the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to identify violent and hard core juvenile offenders and treat them as adults. Opening statements by four U.S. senators (the Honorable Fred Thompson, Herbert Kohl, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., and Orrin G. Hatch) present various perspectives on the role of…

This hearing discussed proposed legislation authorizing funds for programs of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. Opening statements by senators Fred Thompson, Joseph R. Biden, Herbert Kohl, Orrin G. Hatch, Charles E. Grassley, and Alan K. Simpson introduced the issue. Presentations involved two panels. The first consisted of…

This report evaluates 12 high schools in the New American High Schools (NAHS) program. Launched in 1996, NAHS is a U.S. Department of Education research project that was developed to showcase school-reform practices in selected schools. The report is based on a study that used NAHS schools as a "laboratory" for researching reform…