Beginning in the mid- to late-1980s, state policymakers began to rethink their strategies for influencing curriculum and instruction in public education and adopted a policy strategy known as standards-based, systemic reform. This issue of "Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) Policy Briefs" examines how standards-based, systemic…

State legislators across the country have responded with new efforts to change the authority and practice of the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Since 1992, 48 of the 51 state legislatures (including the District of Columbia) have made substantive changes to their juvenile justice laws. This report presents the first comprehensive analysis…

Students whose primary language is not English and who are of limited English proficiency are an increasing percentage of North Carolina's school population at all grade levels and in all parts of the state. These guidelines are designed to clarify their participation in the statewide testing program. This program includes the end-of-grade tests…

The Maryland Middle Grades School Policy Initiative addresses the polices and practices that support improved school and student performance. To document changes in policies and practices, this series of publications entitled "Milestones" was developed. Each publication traces the development, implementation, evaluation, and refinement…

Strategies for teacher retention are presented, including successful approaches and elements for operating a state system for personnel recruitment and retention in special education. Such initiatives as the Utah Mentor Teacher Academy; the Texas Teacher Recruitment, Retention and Assistance Program; and the Kansas Recruitment/Retention Project…

The Board on Testing and Assessment of the National Research Council convened a workshop in 1994 to help policymakers and others better understand the complex issues emerging from the standards-based educational reform movement. This bulletin synthesizes the workshop discussions. It is organized around four major themes that emerged from the…

Issues in the current school choice debate are addressed in the seven chapters of this report. Chapter 1 offers definitions of the various types of choice and a review of literature. Chapter 2 presents findings of interviews with 1,000 parents of children attending public schools, students, teachers, administrators, and state officers from 50…

The potential of community education for building partnerships that help schools become the active agents for addressing social change is discussed in the five papers that make up this report. The first paper, by Donna Amstutz, presents an overview of the purposes and models of community education. Next, a paper by Monica Beglau discusses forms of…

This report describes a study of 451 Native American college students who received New York State Indian Aid for the academic year 1990-91. Data were collected from the New York State Native American Postsecondary Grant-in-Aid Program, which awarded about $430,000 in 1990-91 (compared to $493,000 in 1989-90). Participants came from all 10 of New…

This booklet sets forth a common framework within which providers of substance abuse services approved by the Maine Division of Driver Education Evaluation Programs (DEEP) can evaluate, treat, and certify the completion of treatment of persons convicted of operating under the influence. It presents criteria for classifying individuals according to…

This report summarizes participation and achievement data provided by state education agencies on the Chapter 1 Migrant Education Program (MEP) for 1992-93. The 1992-93 school year was marked by modest growth in the number of MEP participants. In both regular and summer terms, migrant participants were more likely to receive reading and…

Trends in performance assessments across the states of California, Colorado, Connecticut, and Illinois were explored through the development, administration, and analysis of an interstate survey. These four states were selected to represent the diversity of state-mandated testing programs relative to emphasis placed on performance assessment.…

This book chapter describes the 14-year evolution of Community Behavioral Services, a provincial government-operated program in Edmonton, Alberta. The program began in 1976 as a residential treatment facility for individuals having mental retardation and severely challenging behaviors. Later, a specialized family home was established as a halfway…

A study examined the system of performance measures and standards approved in each state in response to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Act of 1990. An initial letter and two follow-up letters were sent to 54 state directors of vocational education. All states responded with information concerning their approved systems of…

This report describes the programs provided by the Illinois Department of Public Aid and the initiatives that the department has begun to help welfare recipients find work and get off welfare rolls. Programs described include the following: (1) AFDC (Aid for Families with Dependent Children) Job Opportunities and Basic Skills program (JOBS), which…