This volume provides the background of the Kentucky Education Reform Act and discusses the assessment and evaluation principles on which it is based. It reviews early steps in implementation of the Act's mandates, but was written before most of the battles of implementation had begun. (SLD)

Provides an overview of the Wisconsin child support system. Explores policy and program implications of the child support revision process and makes recommendations for improving revision. Advocates expressing child support orders as a percentage of the noncustodial parents' income to keep the orders updated automatically and replace the need for…

Includes three reports that describe how Utah's government, libraries, and educational institutions at all levels are becoming more effective through the use of computer and telecommunications technology. Highlights include public library connectivity; public school networks that provide Internet access; and higher education technology and…

Examined similarities and differences in teacher and principal perceptions of the effects of two state-level rewards and sanctions programs. Interviews with teachers, principals, and other administrators, and surveys of principals, indicated that overall, salary bonuses with sanctions linked to a comprehensive education reform initiative more…

Describes recent state initiatives to improve child care for Mississippi children. Efforts include development of a child care director's credential, on-site training through staff at mobile training vans, initiatives to heighten consumer awareness and help parents make informed choices, voter education projects, and free yearly conferences for…

Summarizes the recent history of education reform and statewide testing in Texas. Suggest that analyses comparing Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) reading, writing, and mathematics scores with one another and relevant high school grades raise doubts about the reliability and validity of TAAS scores. Discusses these problems. (SLD)

An examination of expenditures, staffing, and outcomes for 116 adults with severe mental retardation who moved from state institutions in Minnesota to community living settings and a comparison group of 71 persons who remained institutionalized, found community residences were less costly, had more favorable staffing, and better outcomes.…

A survey of Braille transcribers in 40 states found Braille production systems rely on volunteers and hence Braille transcription is not considered a bona fide career. The majority cited low funding and resources as obstacles to change. Issues of certification, training, availability, and definition are discussed, along with recommendations.…

This article discusses the increased pressure that states are under to include test scores of students with disabilities obtained under nonapproved accommodation conditions in their accountability systems. It recommends Individualized Education Program teams carefully consider the use of nonapproved accommodations and consider the purpose and use…

Discusses the amount of money being spent to buy computers for classrooms and emphasizes the need for more money to be spent on teacher training to successfully integrate computers into the curriculum. Reviews state surveys on technology plans and teacher training and considers the effects of staff development on student achievement. (LRW)

The Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX; www.alex.state.al.us) is a network-based education system designed and implemented to help improve education in Alabama. It accomplishes this goal by providing a single location for the state's K-12 educators to find information that will help improve their classroom effectiveness. The ALEX system includes…

This paper examines the content of The California Critical Thinking Skills Test (1990). This report is not a statistical review. Instead it brings under scrutiny the content of the exam. This content will be of interest to the general reader, because the issues range from logic to ethics to pedagogy, and to questions of evidential and…

Mentoring programs have proven to provide benefits to youth and are expanding rapidly in schools. There was concern whether the economic and demographic issues of urban communities and schools would limit success of mentoring programs in urban schools as compared to nonurban. This study focuses on Team-Mates, a statewide, school-based, one-to-one,…

This paper examines the recidivism data for juvenile offenders discharged from a Massachusetts residential treatment center between 1976 and 1995. The criminal histories, juvenile and adult, of 162 delinquent youth referred through the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services who left the program were reviewed. Recidivism was defined as any…

The California Research Bureau (CRB), in participation with the California Council on Youth Relations (CCYR), and with support from The California Wellness Foundation, has been conducting a major research and policy initiative to bring attention to the issues facing homeless youth in California. These include lack of shelter and educational…