(2003). School Meal Programs: Revenue and Expense Information from Selected States. Report to Congressional Requesters. In school year 1996-97, the Department of Agriculture instituted more stringent requirements for the nutritional content of school meals. The General Accounting Office was asked to study school food-service revenues and expenses and how they had changed since the requirements went into effect. This report contains information of the sources of revenues available for providing meals, the expenses of producing meals, the revenues compared with expenses, and the approaches that local school food authorities had adopted to manage their school food-service finances. It uses data from six selected states. The study found that revenue from federal reimbursements and the sale of food were the principal sources of revenue for school food services in the 6 states reviewed for school years 1996-97 through 2000-01. Labor and food purchases were the principal expenses for the six states, sharing nearly equal proportions and changing only slightly. The 6 states had a small though increasing… [PDF]
(2002). Improving Collaboration between Welfare and Workforce Development Agencies. Issue Notes, v6 n4 Jun. Collaboration between welfare and workforce development agencies has increased since the implementation of welfare reform. Federal legislation, state and local policy-making environments, and the capacity of potential partners to serve an agency's clients affect agency collaboration. The following broad approaches to collaboration have been identified: welfare-centered; shared responsibility for work-related services for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) clients; and a highly integrated system. Collaboration enables agencies and clients to gain knowledge, access additional resources, reduce duplication of services, offer more comprehensive services, and benefit from complementary skills and services. The following are among 24 strategies that federal, state, and local agencies can take to facilitate agency collaboration: provide guidance, technical assistance, and training on interagency collaboration; disseminate promising strategies and models; pursue joint planning… [PDF]
(2000). Guess Who's Coming to College and Taking Courses via the World Wide Web?. This document consists of comments provided by 20 adult students taught on the World Wide Web by an associate professor from the University of Central Florida's College of Education. The following are among the benefits of Web-based instruction cited by the students, all of whom are over the age of 25: (1) the ease of communicating on-line makes it possible for students to feel just as close if not closer to on-line classmates than they ever felt to "live" classmates; (2) Web-based courses give students opportunities to search the Web and master computer skills that are essential in the world today; (3) the Web enables students to reach other students and their instructors at times other than "live classroom hours" making it easier for students to share information and offer support to one another; (4) the flexibility inherent in Web-based courses allows adult students to balance their educational pursuits with their job and family responsibilities, enabling many… [PDF]
(1996). Transitional Times for Arts Education in Arizona. A study of 55 school districts and a group of opinion leaders examined the status of arts education in Arizona. Information from surveys collected and interviews conducted throughout 1995 and 1996 was analyzed to determine whether or not improvement occurred following the 1988 "Vision 2000" program. Survey responses and interviews suggest: (1) signs of improvement appear along with indications of status quo maintenance; (2) four out of ten respondents thought the overall status of arts education was better now than five years ago, another third thought it was about the same; (3) significant support for arts education exists among school personnel and parents; (4) funding, staffing, and curriculum were identified as the most critical need over the next 3 years; (5) arts education remains vulnerable to funding cuts, neglect, and competition from other educational priorities; (6) local sources of external funds are often used to supplement district funds but the potential for… [PDF]
(2000). Transition and Post-School Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities: Closing the Gaps to Post-Secondary Education and Employment. This report presents an analysis of research on the state of transition, post-secondary education, and employment outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities over the past 25 years. It identifies what has worked in the areas of transition planning, services, and supports. It also considers what should work in light of unmet needs and unserved populations, focusing on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Youth Opportunity Movement, Youth Councils and One-Stop Centers under the Workforce Investment Act. Also discussed are the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities, the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act, and demonstration projects in special education. Recommendations are offered for the nation (eight recommendations), state and local communities (nine recommendations), and the disability community (three recommendations). Major recommendations to the President and U.S. Congress address the following areas: (1)… [PDF]
(2005). Learning Objects, Repositories, Sharing and Reusability. Open Learning, v20 n1 p83-91 Feb. The online Learning Resource Catalogue (LRC) Project has been part of an international consortium for several years and currently includes 25 institutions worldwide. The LRC Project has evolved for several pragmatic reasons into an academic network whereby members can identify and share reusable learning objects as well as collaborate in a number of ways. Collaboration through the LRC3 toolset may be concerned with the development or redevelopment of learning resources or for administrative and research purposes. For practical and particularly academic cultural reasons, the \catalogue\ itself has adopted a broad perspective on the nature of a \repository\. Many academic staff do not wish to give away their learning resources by uploading them to a public place but they may be prepared to describe the resources (objects) and retain control over their use. The LRC3 therefore includes a \distributed repository\ in that the objects may reside in many different places yet can be located… [Direct]
(2005). Infinite Collections, Almost: Franca Rosen Defines Resource Sharing and How It Can Change Your–and, More Important, Your Patrons'–World. Library Journal, v130 n7 pS4 Apr. The dilemma is one that most public librarians know well. The interlibrary loan (ILL) service over the past seven years had increased by almost 72 percent–with no end to the upward spiral in sight. Borrowing had increased 23 percent, but lending to other libraries had seen the largest growth: 106 percent. ILL staffing hadn't increased and wouldn't, owing to budget restrictions. Sound familiar? This was Jefferson County Public Library (JCPL), CO, in the late 1990s, a library with ten branches that serves a population of more than 500,000 and circulates over 4.3 million items a year. The staff explored every way to make the ILL operations more efficient but strained to keep up. At the same time, saying "no" to patrons or peer libraries was not an option. Nor did staff consider it good service to make interlibrary loan less visible. The solution came from an innovative partnership between both academic and public libraries that made resource sharing easier, cheaper, and…
(1996). SBDM in Restructured Schools: Organizational Conditions, Pedagogy and Student Learning. Final Deliverable for OERI. One of the most widespread restructuring reforms involves decentralizing decision making to schools and sharing decision making with a variety of groups. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the organizational conditions in schools using School-Based Decision Making (SBDM) where there is higher quality instruction and greater student learning. The study examined the variation in structures used for SBDM, the arenas for SBDM decision making, as well as the role of principals and others in this form of governance. It also examined how organizational features vary in SBDM schools, with an investigation of relationships among school size, complexity, gender of staff, sense of empowerment, professional community, goal consensus, power relations, and principal leadership. Finally, the study provides a picture of factors found in schools with higher levels of authentic pedagogy and student learning. Data were obtained from 24 public schools undergoing restructuring through… [PDF]
(1986). Influences of Television on Children's Behavior: Implications for War and Peace. Television is robbing children of their childhood. Moreover, it is destroying children's developing symbolic processes, and inhibiting their creativity and play. Television has remarkable influence over children's behavior. At this point, it is plausible to hypothesize linkages between television viewing and numerous social problems involving children and youth. Research suggests that movie and television violence increases racism, militarism, opposition to free political speech, opposition to foreign aid, and support for authoritarian rather than democratic forms of government. Research additionally shows that viewing cartoon violence increases aggression in children, increases verbal hostility, reduces sharing behavior, increases aggressive language, increases anger and intensity of violent responses, decreases enthusiasm for school, produces and increases anxiety, causes violence on the playground, maintains long-term aggression, produces false understandings of social realities,…
(2005). Moving between Literacy Theory and Practice with Preservice Teachers: Listening to Their Voices. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, v25 n3 p255-265. The purpose of this study was to investigate two research questions: What literacy learning did preservice teachers experience through a Penpal Project embedded in an early literacy course? What sense did preservice teachers make of the Penpal Project?–with an overarching focus on bridging literacy theory with practice. Data were gathered in a university classroom setting, situated in a small Western town, over a period of one school semester. Data methods and sources included videotaped participant observation during weekly penpal letter-sharing, preservice teachers' reflection journals, focus group interviews, and preservice teachers' Penpal Project Summaries. Patterns emerged from the data and were conceptualized under three broad categories: discourse, discovery and dilemmas. In the discourse category, cultivating relationships and learning through collaboration emerged as themes. Discoveries included meaning- and skill-centered interpretations and professional learning. With… [Direct]
(1993). Partnerships in Internationalization: The Title VIa and Beacon Projects. In an effort to increase the effectiveness of international studies and to improve resource sharing among institutions, Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC), in Michigan, has created a consortium for international studies and foreign languages among 15 Michigan community colleges and Michigan State University (MSU). The consortium was funded by the federal government to design, establish, and operate a regionally based, globally focused, "International Studies and Foreign Language Program Development Institute for Community Colleges." Over a 3-year period, the consortium will assist 21 other two-year colleges in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan in establishing or expanding their international studies and foreign-language curricula. In the mid-1980s, KVCC added, as part of its core general education mission, the integration of international education into the college mainstream. Since then, the college's 54-member International Studies Group has infused… [PDF]
(1993). The Association of Christian Librarians. The Association of Christian Librarians is an interdenominational organization of 300 members made up of Christian librarians sharing interests in library service in Christian higher education. From its birth at a 1957 conference of 17 librarians, the association has grown to over 300 members. The association strives to promote, develop, and advance standards of library service in libraries of evangelical Christian institutions of higher learning. The association encourages Christian librarians' growth in spiritual, professional, and scholarly pursuits and provides opportunities for fellowship and service. Through the associations' journal, "The Christian Librarian," issues of concern to those engaged in service to institutions of Christian higher education are addressed. The"Christian Periodical Index," begun in 1959 and produced through volunteer member indexing, provides indexing access to numerous periodicals not covered by other indexes or abstracts. Various… [PDF]
(1993). Conflict Resolution with Young Children. AECA Resource Book Series, No. 2. This booklet provides basic, practical information to assist adults in helping young children to resolve their conflicts with each other. Following introductory information, the booklet discusses why conflict occurs between young children, focusing on children's ability to respect the rights of others, control expressions of anger, assert themselves in a socially acceptable manner, and share ideas and listen to the ideas of others. In the next section, appropriate expectations of children's behavior are detailed for children under 3 and for 3- and 4-year olds, including expectations of social interactions, sharing, self-assertion, and anger. Guidelines for planning the environment and activities to minimize conflict between children are presented next, including, for example, suggestions for modifying an environment that is too noisy and over-stimulating, too crowded, or inadequately equipped. The next section offers guidance for adults on handling conflict situations. Dialogues…
(1990). Oral Communication across the Curriculum in Higher Education: Assessment, Recommendations and Implications for the Speech Communication Discipline. Oral communication across the curriculum programs initiated at universities and colleges are likely to experience several problems, including high costs and heavy workloads for faculty. An Oral Communication Program (OCP) designed to overcome potential problems was instituted at Radford University, Virginia. Results of the program's first year assessment suggest that OCPs, if appropriately planned and implemented can successfully and effectively enhance communication training in a cost-effective manner. Based on Radford's one year of operation and review of other OCPs the following recommendations are offered: (1) that quality control over communication-intensive courses should be provided; (2) that ongoing efforts should be maintained to secure funding from both public and private agencies because of high costs involved in the implementation of such programs; (3) that a clearinghouse for the sharing of instructional materials aimed at serving increased number of clients without… [PDF]
(1997). Beginning Teacher Induction Program in New Brunswick, 1996-97 Report. This report describes the Beginning Teacher Induction Program (BTIP) in 12 New Brunswick anglophone school districts during 1996-1997. Data come from beginning teachers, mentors, principals and district coordinators who participated in the BTIP and completed a survey. Half of the mentors attended a mentor training workshop, an increase from the previous year, and they considered it valuable. Eleven districts held orientations for beginning teachers and mentors, which participants found useful. School level induction activities included regular informational contacts, discussions of strategies, resource sharing, and observations in other classrooms. Participation rates in local activities were higher than the previous year. Over half of the respondents noted a shortage of time to meet and accomplish planned activities. Different teaching assignments, grades, or subjects created problems for 22 percent of the participants. Several district coordinators and principals felt they should… [PDF]