Statewide higher education governing and coordinating boards have long been involved in academic planning, academic program review, and academic program approval. A detailed analysis of the templates that statewide boards require institutions to use during the program approval and review processes reveals the role these processes play in ensuring…

Purpose/Objectives: Evaluation of school-based activities is a high priority for school personnel. Nutrition activities, such as salad bars (SBs) incorporated into school lunchrooms, may increase children's consumption of low-energy, high fiber diets. The purpose of this paper is to describe a problem-solving/ decision-making model and demonstrate…

Systemic efforts to strengthen teacher preparation in Louisiana led to the first statewide value-added assessment (VAA) of teacher preparation programs (TPPs). Subsequently, a number of states have adopted VAA of TPPs. The authors describe challenges that were confronted around the deployment of Louisiana's VAA of TPPs. The discussion is organized…

This study sought to design a statewide service delivery system for the education of Louisiana's blind and visually impaired individuals through the age of 21 and to determine need for a new facility for the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired (LSVI). The report's seven chapters cover the following topics: study methodology; issues in…

Profiles of the 14 states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) provide information on the structure of these states for public postsecondary education and budgeting. For each state, the following areas are discussed: state-level coordinating and/or governing agency, institutional governing boards, state board for vocational education,…

The Louisiana Round Table of Program Evaluators was organized in 1980 among educational evaluators from large parish school systems and the State Department of Education to discuss topics of mutual concern. Since its inception the group has been instrumental in the development and implementation of various workshops directed toward the improvement…

The Bureau of Evaluation, created by the Louisiana Department of Education, has established policies and procedures that ensure use of evaluation findings by both policymakers and program administrators. Information on its development, structure, mission, rationale, staffing, and operations is provided. (PN)

A description of the St. Martin Parish French/English bilingual project, one of five such programs in Louisiana, is presented. Now in its fifth year of operation, the St. Martin project serves the rural communities of Breaux Bridge and Parks, in classes from kindergarten through grade 5. Detailed here are the project's policies on staff…

To identify the occupational and educational aspirations and expectations of Louisiana high school students and relate these aspirations and expectations to their background of experiences, 13,607 students (7,021 girls and 6,586 boys) were interviewed in a group situation. The findings suggest that high school students develop strong occupational…

Louisiana's State-Funded Compensatory/Remedial Program requires two different evaluations: a study of the statewide program and local evaluations conducted by the 66 public school systems involved in the program. The State Education Agency (SEA) evaluation unit is responsible for (1) conducting the statewide evaluation and (2) exercising quality…

A project in Louisiana surveyed local vocational education programs and local application plans and compared them to assessed needs, skill levels, and quality program standards. The project was implemented through nine strategies, which included project staff development, assessment of local plans, needs assessment, development of an assessment…

A federal court ruling to desegregate Louisiana state colleges and universities would require substantial changes, including creation of a single governing board and system, designation of Louisiana State University as a selective flagship institution, creation of a community college system, reduction of program duplication, and affirmative…

The Louisiana guide for administration of secondary language programs in grades 4-8 outlines the state foreign language mandate and offers guidelines and suggestions for a variety of program elements. An introductory section gives the broad rationale for foreign language instruction and cites the state mandate. The guide then proceeds to specify:…

Online learning is growing rapidly across the United States within all levels of education, as more and more students and educators become familiar with the benefits of learning unconstrained by time and place. Across most states and all grade levels, students are finding increased opportunity, flexibility, and convenience through online learning.…