Communities of Practice offer state agency personnel a promising approach for engaging stakeholder groups in collaboratively solving complex and, often, persistent problems in special education. Communities of Practice can help state agency personnel drive strategy, solve problems, promote the spread of best practices, develop members'…

University-based teacher education programs and all of their components, including the content disciplines such as mathematics and science, are undergoing an unprecedented degree of scrutiny and challenge. Today, the entire concept of university-based teacher preparation is being questioned, mostly by critics outside the academy, and it is no…

Federal Student Aid's core mission is to ensure that all eligible Americans benefit from federal financial assistance--grants, loans and work-study programs--for education beyond high school. The programs administered comprise the nation's largest source of student aid: during the 2007-08 school year alone, approximately $83 billion in new aid was…

This brief publication provides bullet points of what education authorities are doing well and how they can do better in the following areas: (1) Planning for implementation; (2) Transition arrangements; (3) Meeting additional support needs; (4) Resolving disagreements; (5) Coordinated support plans; and (6) Working with children and young…

The article discusses theoretical preconditions of added value of internationalized studies for students' knowledge and skills development in the area of professional training within the system of higher education. The premise is formulated that the value and quality of academic exchange is possible to assess grounding on the research into…

The Neighborhood Jobs Initiative (NJI) began in 1998 in five cities (Chicago, Fort Worth, Hartford, New York, and Washington, D.C.) in 1998. The NJI targets high-poverty urban neighborhoods, attempting to connect residents to employment opportunities nearby and in the urban periphery by providing training, supporting interpersonal networks, and…

A study was conducted to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of federally funded work force development programs, such as employment and training programs. Information, including budget data for fiscal years 1999 and 2000, was gathered on federally funded employment and training programs for which a key program goal is providing assistance…

To complement the information gathered on middle school and high school literacy initiatives as reported in "Middle and High School Literacy across the Curriculum" (Task 1.2 Fast Response Project), the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast (REL-SE) staff conducted a scan of the six southeast states to gather the following information…

The Comprehensive Vocational Education Program for Career Development (K-14) in Pinellas County was implemented in nine pilot schools in which the project's goals were designed to bring together already operating components of career education in the county. A concerted effort was made to identify and integrate effective elements of other programs…

As part of the activities establishing the National Institute of Education, a Planning Unit evolved to obtain advice from experts on the objectives, activities, and organizational structure of the new organization. The Planning Unit studies include this paper which traces the nature and evolution of Federal program development in education…

This paper defines and describes what comprises an effective tutorial system. The characteristics defined for a system are presented in the form of a checklist. The characteristics listed are as follows: (a) outcomes, (b) assessment, (c) materials, (d) training, (e) installation, (f) user experience data, and (g) time and costs. Each of the seven…

Discusses the applicability of quality circles in schools. Examines elements of a successful quality circle program, the decision to have such a program, establishing quality circles, potential problems, and the use of quality circles in school districts. (CT)

This article serves as a concluding statement to the preceding articles on ways to improve conferences. The author pulls together themes of successful conference planning and participation and reviews the literature base for readers who wish to inquire further. (CT)

Suggests that adult educators in search of external program funding turn to state-based humanities programs, which are natural allies of adult education, having many of the same goals and sharing many common educational principles. (JT)

A nutrition camp for preadolescent children makes it possible to study the nutritional needs of normal individuals. Aspects involved in this program are discussed: recruitment of subjects, personnel, training and coordination, menus, payment to subjects, medical, critical times, adjustment period, equipment and space needs, collection of excreta,…