The United States has a history of vacillating between rehabilitation and punishment for prisoners. The current mood is to devote resources to building more prisons and to strengthen law enforcement and sentencing policies. Within the last 15 years, the U.S. prison population has tripled, with minority groups being overrepresented in prisons.…

This report presents findings of an analysis that identified gaps between the Ohio education system and national education goals. Data were collected during 1992 and 1993 by the Ohio Department of Education, which elicited feedback from policymakers at a 1992 seminar, conducted interviews with local teams representing school districts and…

This informational memorandum is the first in a series of reports focusing on the SchoolNet initiatives. It describes SchoolNet, SchoolNet Plus, and the Ameritech Agreement, presenting background information on their funding authorities, purposes, key players, organizational structures, and statutory timeframes. The report also describes how…

In 1991 the collaborative efforts of the Council of Chief State School Officers and the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory resulted in the current form of the State Student Assessment Program (SSAP) database. This report marks the third year of that partnership, which builds on earlier data collection efforts to present information…

This report presents new findings on the effectiveness of Ohio's Learning, Earning, and Parenting (LEAP) Program in Cleveland as well as initial results from the Cleveland Student Parent Demonstration, a special project undertaken as part of the LEAP evaluation. LEAP is a statewide initiative that uses financial incentives and penalties to promote…

Sixteen regional forums were held in Minnesota in the fall of 1995 to determine what form the Education and Employment Transition System, or School-to-Work System, mandated by state legislation, would take and which elements it should contain. Forum participants represented business, labor, education, parents, teachers, counselors, and other…

The Wisconsin Technical College System Board Phase V Equity Staff Development project continued staff development efforts to eliminate bias and stereotyping in vocational education. Based upon evaluations indicating a need for a postsecondary equity training model, five technical college equity representatives attended two planning sessions to…

Since the passage of legislation requiring public colleges and universities to develop plans to increase the participation and advancement of underrepresented groups, the Illinois community colleges have used both special population grant funds and local college funds to address the needs of these groups. This report summarizes statewide…

Barriers to progress in educational reform exist inside and outside the education system. Some arise where new practices encounter traditional expectations and boundaries, but others go much deeper than education, such as poverty, racism, local political conflicts, and human resistance to change. The following five categories of barriers are…

Based on the finding that the most important determinant of child care quality is the presence of consistent, well-trained, and well-compensated caregivers, this report discusses strategies to improve compensation in child care. It analyzes structural and social barriers to investing in decent-paying child care jobs; profiles a wide range of…

The SchoolTech initiative, a state-funded pilot project, was designed to empower teachers to develop innovative approaches to academic and extracurricular activities using technology. Elementary and secondary schools (n=10) in North Carolina were provided with hardware and software that had the capability of accessing Internet resources. Teachers…

This plan outlines the proposed professional development strategies and actions required for Maryland to achieve full success of the "Schools For Success 2000" school reform efforts. The plan's vision is reviewed and the leadership, resources, support systems, strategic alliance partner, best practices, and educational goals required to…

This report includes summaries of activities and accomplishments in the state's efforts to implement performance standards and core measures as well as programs in the following: (1) secondary, postsecondary, and adult occupational; (2) single parent, displaced homemaker, and single pregnant women; (3) sex equity; (4) criminal offenders; (5)…

One component of the Maryland School Performance Program (MSPAP) is the state's performance-based assessments, criterion-referenced tests that require students to apply what they know and can do to solve problems and display other higher-order thinking skills. This document helps parents, teachers, students, and other citizens understand the tasks…

One component of the Maryland School Performance Assessment; Program (MSPAP) is the state's performance-based assessments, criterion-referenced tests that require students to apply what they know and can do to solve problems and display other higher-order thinking skills. This document helps parents, teachers, students, and other citizens…