A statewide consortium effort in Connecticut was designed to increase the quantity and quality of services available to postsecondary students with learning disabilities (LD). Two model programs were funded and evaluated, and the consortium was developed to replicate the success of the models by encouraging program development throughout the…

NIE's State Capacity Building Program in Dissemination supports the development of comprehensive programs in State Education Agencies. The nature of the dissemination capacity is reflected in goals of providing greater access to information resources for educators, and realization of increased coordination among activities of SEAs. Each SEA…

Considerations in the design and implementation of the technical assistance (TA) system for supporting Pennsylvania's statewide school improvement initiative are analyzed. After a brief introduction, the authors describe the key features of the initiative, called Long-Range Planning for School Improvement (LRPSI). They briefly review recent…

A long-range school improvement program, under the direction of the Pennsylvania State Department of Education, was developed to coordinate and articulate the curriculum, as well as to structure school management and other district operations. Featured in the plan are: (1) a statewide testing program called "Educational Quality…

A description is given of the structure and operation of 29 intermediate administrative units which provide consulting, advisory, administrative, or statistical services to local school districts in Pennsylvania. The basic services rendered by the units are in the areas of: (1) curriculum development and instructional improvement; (2) management;…

Authorized by the National Literacy Act of 1991, state literacy resource centers (SLRCs) are charged with assisting local public and private nonprofit efforts to enhance literacy. SLRCs have developed innovative approaches to their mandate to stimulate the coordination of literacy services. They have encouraged government and industry…

In an effort to improve the management of the Georgia Department of Education innovation program, a concept paper process for selecting developmental projects was implemented in January of 1989. The first effort, in January of 1989, yielded 48 papers; the second effort, in November of 1990, yielded 56 papers. For the Novemeber effort, funding was…

Activities of the Technology Access for Arkansans (TAARK) project have focused on: (1) identifying the need and quality of technology provisions in the state; (2) disseminating information about appropriate technology and funding; (3) educating Arkansans about technology and advocacy; (4) developing a coordinated state plan; and (5) providing…

At the request of the Oklahoma Department of Education, the Technical Assistance Center 3 West conducted a statewide review of local Chapter 1 evaluation data to provide possible explanations for the unusual standardized test score gains or losses reported by a number of local school districts. During the two months of quality control visits, 35…

The U.S. Department of Education's Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) is undertaking a major initiative to substantially redesign its program monitoring and improvement system. The overriding goal is to improve vocational rehabilitation (VR) services and employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities through the development of a…

The Assistive Technology Program for Oklahoma Public Schools was developed to assist Oklahoma public schools in meeting the challenges of assistive technology service delivery as mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The program is a collaborative effort between the Oklahoma State Department of Education's Special…

This paper describes efforts in Oregon to improve school services for students with orthopedic impairments. A state technical assistance team was created which worked with regional coordinators. The team established the following goals: providing physical and occupational therapy that is delivered by a team, is directly related to the child's…

This brief paper describes an innovative training project, the Augmentative, Assistive, and Facilitated Communication project, designed to enhance the capacity of school personnel to use alternative communication strategies with children having severe communication impairments. The project has provided training and technical assistance to school…

Passage of the Education Amendments of 1974 added a new section to Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, which required the U.S. Commissioner of Education to undertake specific activities regarding evaluation of the program. Efforts made by the Office of Education to implement this law are described, including the…

As rural communities strive to meet the demands of both their citizens and of higher levels of government for increased local services, they must rely more and more on outside assistance. The maze and complexity of federal and state mandates forces officials to seek technical assistance from a network of public and private agencies. The dynamics…