Background: The hiring of persons with disabilities continues to lag relative to the employment outcomes of persons without disabilities. Objective: The goal of this descriptive study was to examine human resources (HR) professionals' perceived needs and development considerations related to the use of a community of practice (CoP) to improve the…

This document provides a list of recommended existing resources for state Part C and Part B 619 staff and technical assistance (TA) providers to utilize to support evaluation planning for program improvement efforts (including the State Systemic Improvement Plan, SSIP). There are many resources available related to evaluation and evaluation…

This document is intended to assist State Education Agency (SEA) and Lead Agency (LA) staff and technical assistance providers in designing a meaningful evaluation for the State Performance Plan (SPP)/Annual Performance Report (APR) improvement activities. It provides: (1) information about the relevance of evaluation in the context of improvement…

The Hawkins/Stafford Elementary and Secondary Education Improvement Amendment of 1988 (P.L. 100-297) promotes access to quality education for educationally deprived students and excellence for all children. School level program improvement is a major component of this legislation. This publication is a major component of this legislation. This…

Executive Directors of parent centers have very challenging careers. For example, they need to ensure that high quality services are developed and provided; funds are raised; bills are paid on time; staff are hired, trained and supported; boards are recruited and effective; community awareness is high; and reports are accurate and submitted on…

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…

This report extends the results of an earlier study on the use of performance measures and standards to suggest principles for designing outcome-based program improvement systems. It examines the implications of that research for enhancing accountability in future federal work force preparation legislation. It also illustrates specifically how the…

This informational booklet contains background materials regarding the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) initiative to redesign its monitoring system. The booklet is intended to expand the knowledge and understanding of those individuals selected to participate in the RSA-sponsored monitoring conference that was held August 24 and 25,…

Career and technical education (CTE) in Nebraska prepares individuals at the secondary, postsecondary, and adult level for entry, advanced, technical, and managerial positions in business and industry. The Department of Education is the designated agency for administration of CTE and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of…

Policymakers must review the accomplishments of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), problems associated with suggestions for its reform, and incremental reforms to the program that are required and possible. Despite the fact that research generally attests to CETA's success, the system suffers from a poor public image.…

Technical assistance provided to loan guarantee agencies by Touche Ross and Co. under contract to the U.S. Office of Education (OE) is described. Objectives of the report are: to summarize the work performed and the results of each of the projects that were conducted; to describe certain prototype systems that were developed for the guarantee…

This book is a directory that describes about 1,100 discretionary grants and contracts supported by the Research to Practice Division of the Office of Special Education Programs. The projects are grouped into sections representing the seven program areas of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments (1997), Part D. This…

Since the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) was enacted in 1998, considerable efforts have been expended at the federal, state, and local levels to effect the transition to the new system mandated by WIA. Several states phased into the new system in July 1999, and all other states followed in mid-2000. Active participation by partner agencies has…