This paper addresses the educational, technical, legal, and practical challenges states must confront as they consider the content of the assessment, its technical quality, the capacity of educators and the public to use the results of the assessment, the benefits and additional complications of performance testing, and the overall tension betwen…

The Texas Interagency Council on Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) serves 23,000 children a year and funds 71 comprehensive programs and 12 Milestones programs throughout Texas. Comprehensive programs offer a variety of services to help families who have babies and toddlers with disabilities or delays, providing services in the home or integrated…

This report describes the activities of the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) during the 1995-96 fiscal year. It provides an overview of student and parent financial aid programs, including the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), the largest state grant program in the United States. Major advances reported for 1995-96…

This booklet provides information about the state of Mississippi's Prepaid Affordable College Tuition Program. The state-guaranteed program creates tax-exempt monthly or lump-sum prepayment plans that cover tuition and all mandatory fees at state-supported colleges or universities, are portable to private and out-of-state schools, and can be…

Unless communities create equitable learning environments, many students will be excluded from learning and will not be fully prepared for the workforce of the future. The Vermont Institute for Science, Math and Technology has developed benchmarks to assure educational equity. Benchmarks are listed for the following areas: (1) school and classroom…

This report describes summer youth employment and training programs operated throughout Minnesota via the Service Delivery Area/Private Industry Council network. It provides a statistical profile of the young people served, program costs, and program outcomes. The report begins with statewide outcome information, including a statewide summary of…

The analytical process used in building a compendium of examples of accomplishments by the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) of the Cooperative Extension System is presented and discussed. Lessons learned are cited, and recommendations for future efforts to synthesize evidence on major program thrusts are made. The NWQI is focused on…

The first goal of the America 2000 initiative was to have all young children able to start school ready to learn by the year 2000. This paper summarizes the efforts of six communities to meet that goal through increased collaboration between health care providers and educational institutions, on the assumption that children's health is directly…

The Nutrition Education and Training Program (NETP) promotes healthy eating habits to improve the health and well-being of children. It integrates mealtime and learning experiences to help children make informed food choices part of a healthy lifestyle. Kansas NETP has adopted the national NETP philosophy and strategic direction, with goals…

The Oregon Report Card is an annual portrait of the state's public schools. The first five sections describe statewide progress toward implementing Oregon's Educational Act for the 21st Century, some of the state's exemplary school-improvement programs, and the clear relationship between Oregon's program and national education goals. The remaining…

This books contains papers written on issues related to externally mandated mathematics tests and their influence on school mathematics. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the book, including brief abstracts of each chapter. Chapter 2 presents a summary of the overall problems associated with the need for valid information. Remaining chapters…

This report offers a perspective on state supply and demand data collection efforts concerning special education personnel. The report includes: (1) an overview of federal data requirements; (2) national data on special education and related services personnel as reported in the U.S. Department of Education's "Fifteenth Annual Report to Congress…

Arizona's Serve-America program, administered by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), began in fiscal year 1992-93 under the auspices of the National and Community Service Act of 1990. Serve-America links community service projects with schools and youths in grades K-12. This second annual report documents the second year of project…

This guide describes 35 programs developed by the Wisconsin Leadership Identification Program. The Leadership Identification Program offers mentee participants a structured mentee/mentor relationship, an opportunity to design a formal professional growth plan, a statewide leadership training session, visibility through a statewide newsletter, and…

Wisconsin has been exploring educational targets or outcomes since 1992 in conjunction with legislation mandating student assessment. While the establishment of outcomes does not necessarily indicate that a school subscribes to an outcome-based education (OBE) philosophy, the two could go together. OBE requires identification of outcomes prior to…