Penn State Extension conducted on-farm food safety workshops statewide to train fruit and vegetable growers on Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). These workshops were evaluated using pre- and post-tests to assess the impact of the training on participating growers. Results indicate overall increases in produce growers' knowledge, attitudes,…

High-quality care in the earliest years of life has been shown to relate to positive developmental outcomes for children, including improved early academic skills, social-emotional competencies, and cognitive functioning. Unfortunately, the early care experiences of many children are not always high quality; rather, research suggests that…

With Washington trapped in budget battles and partisan gridlock, cities have emerged as the best source of government innovation. Nowhere is this more visible than in New York City. Since taking office in 2002, Mayor Bloomberg has introduced a steady stream of innovative policies, from a competition to recruit a new applied sciences campus and a…

The New York University-Reading Consortium proposed to evaluate the use of interactive cable television for the delivery of public services to the the elderly residents of Reading, Pennsylvania. The project represented the collaborative efforts of New York University, the City of reading, the Berks TV Cable Company, the Berks County Senior…

This report from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) focuses on community college services provided to the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The objectives of the study are to determine what services are being provided, what the barriers are to the provision of these services, and what steps might be…

Study results on the feasibility of and methods for providing non-traditional, postsecondary educational opportunities for the Fayette, Greene, and Washington counties area of Pennsylvania comprise this report. Summaries of the operations of the John Wood Community College in Illinois, the Hudson Community College Commission in New Jersey, and the…

This document contains materials about and from the Planning for Change (PfC) project, which was conducted to accomplish the following objectives: (1) further develop and document a comprehensive community planning process across Pennsylvania's workforce investment board (WIB) regions; (2) pilot the comprehensive planning project; and (3) expand…

In 1974, seven $100,000 grants were awarded for the design of experiments to deliver social and administrative services on interactive cable television. A subsequent study attempted to summarize and compare the seven studies and to place them in the context of the field's significant literature and current use. This report summarizes the results…

An extensive opinion survey and feasibility study was undertaken to determine whether student and adult residents of Cameron, Clearfield, and Elk counties, Pennsylvania felt a need for a community college "without walls" to serve the area. The college without walls involves using existing educational facilities in local areas without…

A project to sponsor town meetings in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, to permit residents in isolated areas to express their concerns about delivery of human services and to make contact with others with similar concerns, is described. The description includes the project's rationale, purpose and goals, format, and evaluation. (KR)

This report describes an interactive cable television system to deliver social services to senior citizens in Reading, Pennsylvania. The first section examines the process through which the interactive system was established. The technological components of the system are described in the second section. This is followed by a brief review of the…

A model for assessing the needs of the rural elderly based on the goal of empowerment is described and evaluated through a case study in Pennsylvania. Overall, the 63 community workers positively evaluated the needs assessment data derived through the model. Ways to enhance the model are discussed. (SLD)

A study examined nontraditional, community-based rural General Educational Development (GED) programming outreach efforts in Pennsylvania. Data for the study were obtained through two computerized bibliographic searches, interviews and phone calls to the GED Testing Division of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and from phone calls to the…

The Governor's Task Force on the Mental Health of Juvenile Offenders in the state of Pennsylvania conducted a statewide survey of facilities for the care, treatment, and rehabilitation of adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age. The Task Force surveyed mental hospitals, community-based services, private psychiatric treatment centers, youth…

This paper presents a five-year plan for the improvement of Pennsylvania's system of services for people with mental retardation and their families. It was developed over an 18-month period by 70 people, including people with disabilities, family members, advocates, providers of service, legislative staff, and county and state government…