This report is the result of a request from two states for technical assistance to support the selection and revision of the state's Kindergarten Entry Assessments (KEA's). Given that this is a national topic of interest, the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) summarized what we gathered to provide other states with this relevant…

States that received federal waivers to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act were required to implement reforms in designated "Focus Schools" that contribute to achievement gaps. In this study, we examine the performance effects of such "differentiated accountability" reforms in the state of Louisiana. The Focus School reforms…

In this article, James J. Gallagher proposes that understanding the political issues and the debate surrounding the education of gifted students is based on the recognition that education policy (including rules, regulations, financial allocations, etc.) reflects social policy. Hence, society prioritizes needs so that the most important of these…

One objective of the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) School Improvement Grants (SIG) and Race to the Top (RTT) program is to help states enhance their capacity to support the turnaround of low-performing schools. This capacity may be important, given how difficult it is to produce substantial and sustained achievement gains in low-performing…

The Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) are a networked system of 10 organizations that serve the educational needs of 10 designated regions across the United States and its territories. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is authorized by the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA) to award contracts to 10 RELs to support applied research,…

A survey of recipients of 51 technical assistance projects addressing needs of children with sensory impairments in 18 states and territories resulted in identification of desired individual, programmatic, and systemwide changes in provision of technical assistance services. (Author/DB)

Estimates suggest that 20 to 25% of U.S. students change schools each year, and this figure is higher in school districts with a relatively large immigrant population. The guidelines in this technical assistance packet provide strategic suggestions for welcoming newcomers to a school or district, something that has become an essential facet of…

A two-part report, sponsored by the Northwest Regional Exchange, focuses on the role of technical assistance in educational settings. This document, part II of the report, examines selected change models for establishing technical assistance systems and implications for action. After a brief introduction, the following critical components of…

Details the planning of an education center intended to introduce community education more effectively to Indian communities by providing them with technical assistance and facilitator-type leadership training in a field-based mode. Notes the goals, proposed functions, and planning timetable of the center, and what makes it unique. (SB)

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Technical Support Network (HBCUTSN) helps strengthen teacher preparation programs at historically black colleges and universities. The HBCUTSN developed a technical assistance model with four components: assessing, educating, coaching, and collaborating. This paper highlights collaboration,…

Abt Associates' concluding report on its research of the federally funded Experimental Schools (ES) program identifies educational needs in rural schools, introduces the substance of the ES program, and presents the major findings of the research in terms of the dynamics of rural school districts and the design and implementation of federal…

A study examined the problems faced by the Warsaw School of Economics (Poland), a prestigious university that must change rapidly from a training ground for central planners and bureaucrats into a Western-style business school. Issues include course offerings, mix of academic and practitioner-oriented courses, language of instruction, and the role…

This report assesses the current situation regarding vocational training in Central and Eastern Europe and suggests projects and working methods that would be consistent with the mission of the Commission of the European Communities' European Training Foundation. Sections 1 through 4 focus on the following: the existing system's inability to train…

Recommendations of the Maryland Task Force on Gifted and Talented Education concerning the current status and future needs of gifted and talented education are presented. Recommendations are offered concerning the following issues: appropriate recognition of giftedness and services for all gifted and talented students, world-class curricular…

This document reports on phases 2 and 3 of the Phare Special Preparatory Programme for the European Social Fund (SPP-ESF), which involved national, supplementary, and local seminars to assess the following countries' needs for assistance from the ESF: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the Slovak…