The Regional Educational Laboratory of the Pacific (REL Pacific) program at McREL International partners with schools, state departments of education, and other education stakeholders to use data and research to drive data-informed decisions. Dedicated, experienced staff work closely with local experts, who provide support for ongoing regional…

The purpose of this report is to provide policymakers, primarily at the federal and state levels, with information about youth with disabilities in foster care, so that policymakers can begin to understand the characteristics of this population; the challenges they face; how they fare with regard to safety, permanency, self-determination and…

Two methods of controlling visitors and strangers in schools are presented: one utilizes a student visitor reception committee and the other describes various techniques of visual identification of visitors to permit faculty and students to know who does and does not belong in the school. Methods of identification include visitor ribbons and…

Youth Action Teams have been implemented in over 14 sites across the country in the past few years. Such teams are made up of a diverse group of youth working together on a project through the school, a youth service organization, a community organization, or the government. The team decides its focus, and what projects its members wish to…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates transition services to prepare students with disabilities to live and work in the community as adults; the School-to-Work (STW) Opportunities Act requires that all students, including those with disabilities, have access to all STW activities. This paper overviews collaborative…

Maryland is the first state to require every student to perform service as a condition of receiving a high school diploma. In Baltimore, once electives became mandatory, a new coordinator for service learning was appointed, a service-learning program--the Baltimore Alliance for Student Service--was established, and a revised five-year…

Yerba Buena High School in San Jose (California) has implemented a school-based, interagency team approach for delivery of a variety of social services to students, their families, and community members. In the early 1970s the school secured a grant, hired a "crisis counselor," and set up a 24-hour hotline staffed by professionals and volunteers.…

Pennsylvania's Secondary Instructional Support program addresses such problems as failing grades, lack of classroom participation, lack of time on task, difficulties with basic skills, and poor attendance. It provides school districts with training and guided practice in six areas: collaboration, instructional assessment, instructional adaptation,…

The Vocational Education Resource System (VERS) helps career/vocational educators, counselors, and administrators improve and expand programs for special populations. It offers technical assistance in program administration, instructional strategies, finances, accountability, and grant writing. VERS maintains a regional database of educators,…

The report, which is part of a series, provides a summary of a 1985 meeting. The meeting was intended to (1) provide an overview of the Secondary Transition Intervention Effectiveness Institute's programs, (2) discuss how participants could be involved in the Institute's programs, and (3) develop a format for networking the results of federally…

Restitution programs have been organized in many areas of the country to make juvenile offenders more accountable for their criminal behavior, more aware of the consequences to themselves, their victims, and the community, and thus, less likely to continue committing crimes. The programs also provide direct compensation for victims of crime.…

The Dissemination and Diffusion Section, Florida Division of Vocational Education, provides vocational educators with innovative educational materials and technical assistance on their use. Dissemination and diffusion are often aimed at the awareness/interest level, but teacher surveys and site visits have indicated that continued contact with…

Twelve junior and senior high schools in California and ten in New York City are working to mitigate violence and vandalism in their schools and reduce high droupout and absentee rates by addressing a problem central to these issues--student alienation. Through the Open Road Student Involvement Project, natural student leaders form a volunteer…

The Urban Development Component at Research for Better Schools, Inc., attempted to attack problems facing urban secondary schools in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania by using the "natural channels" of educational and civic associations to disseminate research and development information and to work collaboratively toward improving…

In 1977, a Behavior Modification Clinic was established at William A. Wirt High School in Gary (Indiana) as an alternative to suspending disruptive youth. The clinic operates with two programs--a remedial academic instruction program in five basic subjects, and a counseling component in which all students are involved. The results of the clinic…