This Special Report examines four principles for state leaders to consider as they develop or evaluate financial aid redesign reform efforts. The financial aid redesign principles, identified through a Thinkers Meeting that included experts from across the country, fall into four areas: Financial aid programs should be student-centered,…

This is the third paper on the topic of outcomes-based funding written by Dennis Jones for Complete College America. The first paper, "Performance Funding: From Idea to Action" (ED535356), proposed a set of design and implementation principles to help states develop and implement their own outcomes-based funding models. The second paper,…

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) identified a need for a comprehensive set of best practices in nutrition education for low-income audiences for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) educational projects, including SNAP-Ed. A comprehensive list of best practices would promote consistency and efficacy in program planning,…

The purpose of this study was to describe how states in the REL Central Region (Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming) evaluate teacher preparation programs and planned changes for evaluation. Publicly available documents were reviewed and interviews were conducted with state education agency representatives…

This planning handbook is first in a series of three handbooks developed for individuals, school districts, and agencies interested in implementing career education programs. This handbook is divided into the following four units: (1) needs analysis; (2) model selection; (3) work plan development; and (4) application form and procedures. A brief…

The two reports reprinted here address prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect in rural areas through self-help programs. The larger report, that of the Appalachian Citizens for Children's Rights (ACCR) Project, describes project purposes: to develop a community development model for child abuse/neglect using resources already existing…

The major purpose of the Title V program, Designing Education for the Future, is to assist educators and lay citizens in the eight participating States in devising a program of educational improvement. This report by the project director presents information on educational changes covered by the program and builds a rationale for effecting these…

This report discusses findings of a study that investigated the resolution of disputes in the field of special education. Information was collected from ten states (Alabama, California, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming) on their current dispute resolution systems and from two additional states…

The experience described by Kay Hoag, Advocacy Chair of the National Network for Early Language Learning (NNELL), exemplifies the threat of program elimination and/or cutbacks that elementary school foreign language programs across the nation experienced with increased frequency during the 2002-2003 academic year. Reports of these threats…

To evaluate and test the effectiveness of the "Procedures Manual for Assisting the Socioeconomic Impact of the Construction and Operation of Coal Utilization Facilities in the Old West Region," an impact study of a proposed electric generating station on the Laramie River near Wheatland, Wyoming, identifies difficulties encountered in…

The Wyoming Comprehensive Occupational Education Program (K through community college) focuses on positive work attitudes and job-entry skills. In kindergarten through grade six, occupational attitudes are incorporated into the existing elementary school curriculum. A career-orientation program is designed for grades seven and eight that provides…