In a study of integration of vocational and academic education in Texas, administrators of a stratified random sample of 112 school districts in the state were surveyed, and 65% responded. Steps toward integration were being taken in 84% of the districts; however, only four districts have implemented integration plans described as comprehensive.…

This policy brief addresses the current and future impact of substance abuse by pregnant women on their infants and children. It provides data on incidence estimates in 1985, 1989, 1995, and 2000. Findings of studies in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina provide documentation for varying incidence estimates.…

This presentation examines teacher attrition and defines policies that could help reduce attrition. It first presents a theory of teacher attrition that explains what patterns to expect in teacher attrition and turnover and why some teacher attrition may be inevitable. It presents findings from a longitudinal study of Indiana teachers,…

One of every five children under age 18 living in the United States is an immigrant or has immigrant parents. The majority of these children are of Hispanic or Asian origin and, as such, are contributing to the growing racial and ethnic diversity of the U.S. child and youth population. Because of the long-term importance of children in immigrant…

In Switzerland, bilingual education models have existed for a long time. Some schools have a bilingual tradition that reaches back to the nineteenth century, as do informal models along the French-German language border. At the same time, exchanges between language communities led to bilingual learning, and the Raetoromania is a compulsory, though…

A discussion of bilingual education teacher training in Switzerland begins with an introduction to the unique and complex linguistic situation of the country, the political and policy context for bilingual education, and the organization of teacher training in general. A more detailed description of both pre-service and in-service training of…

Expenditures on further education (FE) in England were examined as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), which was a zero-based budgeting exercise performed by the Labour government for a 3-year period covering 1999-2002. The CSR increased total FE funding by 7% in 1999-2000. When the anticipated 5% increase in FE enrollments and…

This guide chronicles the ongoing work and writings of the Chapin Hall Center for Children, a policy research center dedicated to bringing sound information, rigorous analyses, innovative ideas, and an independent multidisciplinary perspective to bear on policies and programs affecting children. The guide includes listings of projects and…

Using a model of rational student choice as its foundation, this study examined whether state policies toward higher education encourage junior colleges and universities to admit too many students. The optimal-size decisions of budget-maximizing junior colleges and universities were derived and compared to the optimal-size decisions of a social…

This paper highlights the religious accommodations that Ontario (Canada) universities have undertaken to create an inclusive, supportive learning community for all students, faculty, and staff. It outlines the demographic changes and public policy surrounding religious accommodation issues in Canada and in Ontario in particular, focusing on the…

Telecottages originated in Scandinavia in the 1980s in an attempt to reverse the decline of isolated communities by giving them access to information and services, facilities for training and distance education, and the opportunity to produce income through telecommuting. In 1992-1993, the Australian government began funding the Telecentre…

The status of assessment in terms of federal policy, the social or economic climate related to education, the role of testing in counseling, assessment as an intervention in its own right, and assessment as it is affected by technology are important components of the context of issues and challenges related to assessment at the edge of the 21st…

This issue paper is designed to help families, advocates and policymakers ensure that "medically necessary" standards in public-sector contracts for managed mental health care protect children's rights, particularly the rights of children who have serious emotional disturbance. Fundamental principles for developing sound contracts for…

To address problems in public education for majority and minority ethnic groups in Central and Eastern Europe, Minority Rights Group International and the Inter Ethnic Initiative for Human Rights Foundation organized a skills exchange workshop in Sofia, Bulgaria in November 1997. Representatives from Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovkia…

Initiated by the government of the Netherlands and UNESCO, the European Policy Conference on Early Childhood Education focused on early childhood policy issues with special reference to the social integration of children and families at risk. The conference was organized around three themes including quality, accessibility and going-to-scale. This…