For many non-traditional candidates, the path into teaching is riddled with bumps and detours. They must pay for increasingly expensive coursework and certification costs, attend classes that conflict with work schedules, and forgo wages to complete unfunded student teaching requirements. These roadblocks can deter valuable local…

While the national high school graduation rates for culturally and linguistically diverse students have increased in the last five years, less than half of these students transition from high school to postsecondary settings. In this article we share the lessons learned from nearly a decade of college access and career readiness efforts by a…

This "Issues in Prevention" focuses on statewide coalitions and state systems. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Statewide Coalitions for Prevention; (2) Louisiana Higher Education Coalition; (3) Statewide Initiative Grantees; (4) The Ohio College Initiative; and (5) Higher Education Center Resources.

Early awareness strategies, from outreach campaigns to cohort-based learning groups to scholarships, are a group of efforts that help middle school students stay on the path to college and understand how to fund their education. These strategies become part of early awareness programs, which seek to put students on a college-going path by…

There's an emerging trend in the national college completion movement. A group of small but powerful Student Success Centers is creating statewide impact in states traditionally devoid of a strong centralized tradition of community college governance. Growing directly out of a decade of hard work to dramatically boost student completion rates in…

CHILDREN AT RISK, a nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization, undertook a year-long effort to study the subsidized child care system in Texas. This included an in-depth analysis of the system's local and state partners, as well as the promotion of the study's findings and key recommendations. This report is one of the products of this…

"Student Success Center Toolkit" is a compilation of materials organized to assist Student Success Center directors as they staff, launch, operate, and sustain Centers. The toolkit features materials created and used by existing Centers, such as staffing and budgeting templates, launch materials, sample meeting agendas, and fundraising…

To address key policy and programmatic questions and help improve student and system performance, states must work to link data across the early childhood, postsecondary and workforce (P-20/workforce) spectrum and share this information with appropriate stakeholders. This issue brief highlights current efforts in California, Florida, Indiana, and…

An historical overview of the Texas Small Schools Project (TSSP) from 1960 to 1969 precedes a discussion of statewide, regional, and school activities conducted with TSSP assistance: summer workshops, the testing program, and TSSP staff visitation at the statewide level; inservice training, talented-youth seminars, and health careers programs at…

Opportunities available to residents of Southern states through the Academic Common Market are listed in this book. The Market is an interstate agreement among Southern states for sharing uncommon programs. Participating states are able to make arrangements for their residents who qualify for admission to enroll in specific programs in other…

This annual report describes the Interagency Child Abuse Network (ICAN) Project, a joint venture of the Texas Department of Human Services and the Alamo Area Council of Governments in Bexar County. The goal of the ICAN Project was to establish a network of agencies in the county that could develop a team approach to handling child abuse cases. The…

The report details accomplishments of Texas's Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) program and describes the program's interagency organization and services. The history of early intervention in Texas is traced and the need for early intervention documented. Interagency cooperation among the departments of health, mental health and mental…

This booklet provides background information about the Texas library system for both new and experienced system advisory council members and lay representatives. It is noted that most of the material included was previously distributed at the 1980 System Advisory Council Conference. Five sections are presented: (1) "The Public Library and the…

In January 1987, a Master Plan for the delivery of vocational and technical education in Texas was adopted by the State Board of Education (SBOE). The master plan details goals and strategies to assist in the development of a skilled and educated work force in Texas as the state enters the 21st century. As part of their mandated annual review…

This Texas plan to improve information and referral services in the area of developmental disabilities recommends an approach which focuses on providing improvements incrementally, spacing benefits over time, and periodically reassessing direction, alternatives, and costs/benefits. The plan stresses building a network which provides greater public…