This brief discusses research showing that high-quality early childhood programs can sharply improve readiness for school, especially for children who are at risk of school failure. The brief describes North Carolina's creation of the "More at Four" pre-kindergarten program and discusses research on important issues and potential…

Interest is growing in planning and implementing new systems of holding child and family services accountable for results. The Results-Based Accountability (RBA) Project at the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) has supported and built upon recent state efforts to develop these new accountability systems for child and family services. The RBA…

This report describes the context, design, and findings of an evaluation of a welfare reform initiative, the Recycling Fund Concept, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The proposed fund would allocate money to parents of preschool children who receive Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). The concept assumes that lack of child care…

This report provides an overview of selected state strategies for addressing personnel shortages in the area of visual impairments. Innovative or alternative routes to certification in six states (Texas, Hawaii, Iowa, North Carolina, Utah, and West Virginia) are profiled to give specific examples of state approaches to personnel preparation and…

How the performance appraisal system for school psychologists in North Carolina was developed and implemented is described. The evaluation system was developed with consideration for those to be evaluated and with respect for the needs of individuals as well as organizations. (SLD)

The Central Piedmont Community College Libraries have been successful in creating positive expectations from the CPCC community by connecting an official library logo with quality library service. The creation of the CPCC Libraries' logo CLICK was a process that spanned several months. A history of this process details the meetings and design work…

In 1993, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted legislation to encourage schools to implement extended services to meet the needs of students, giving at-risk students first priority. In this manual, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction explains how extended services can be implemented at the school level. It identifies and…

This 3-part guide is intended to help local school personnel serve their gifted students through participation in the Duke University (North Carolina) Talent Identification Program (TIP). Part I lists a timetable of activities during fall and spring which focus on the TIP application process and achievement testing. Part II describes a variety of…

This study was conducted to design an educational program for physician's assistant that would conform to the American Medical Association's essential requirements for the occupation and to determine the feasibility of establishing such a program at Pitt Technical Institute in North Carolina. The investigation covered selection procedures,…

Background for this monograph comes from a study of in-school suspension programs conducted in schools in North Carolina. Chapter 1 focuses on the effectively disciplined school in terms of a total school perspective and the characteristics of a well-disciplined school. Chapter 2 addresses three categories of administrative discipline strategies:…

Three groups were surveyed to determine the preferred modes of learning of persons directly associated with cooperative extension education in North Carolina. The modes of learning stated on the questionnaires were doing, touching/feeling, smelling, tasting, seeing, hearing, and discussing. Three groups completed the questionnaire: targeted…

This report describes the origin, purposes, and operation of the North Carolina Leadership Institute for Principals. Initiated in July 1979 by the State Superintendent for Public Instruction and supported by state funds, the institute develops programs that blend theory into practice, concentrating mainly on the development of leadership,…

This final report describes and evaluates the Favorable Alternate Sites Project (FASP), developed in response to the oversettlement of refugees (particularly Southeast Asian refugees) in particular areas of the country. The project's goals were to reduce welfare dependency, increase the ability of FASP refugees to be self-supporting, and reduce…

The experience described by Kay Hoag, Advocacy Chair of the National Network for Early Language Learning (NNELL), exemplifies the threat of program elimination and/or cutbacks that elementary school foreign language programs across the nation experienced with increased frequency during the 2002-2003 academic year. Reports of these threats…

This study on barriers to online staff development for classroom teachers was conducted as part of the planning activities of a delivery models project designed to develop guidelines for implementing large-scale online staff development programs. The study involved engaging 54 general and special educators in several professional roles from nine…