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As school choice options grow, it is helpful to test for indirect effects on non-choosers who are left behind in district-run schools. Can a competitive system built on the principle of choice serve as a rising tide that lifts all boats or will such systems further existing inequities? The largest competitive effects analysis of a voucher program in the United States, this study helps address existing gaps in knowledge by examining how the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program affects students in traditional public schools, looking at the change in academic outcomes and graduation rates of students in Indiana traditional public schools based on their proximity to private schools participating in this statewide K-12 private school voucher program. We use network proximity data to generate a "drive-time" measure that accounts for road lengths, intersection turn times, speed limits, and traffic data and allows us to calculate precise travel time between two points--down to the minute. We use this precise measure in a difference-in-differences framework to examine impacts on student math and English Language Arts test scores and graduation rates. We find little evidence that the average student in traditional public schools has been affected--either positively or negatively--by the enactment and growth of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program. We do find, however, consistent evidence of small positive effects for low-income children.

How does a large research university establish a culture supporting student-centered evidence-based teaching? In this paper, we describe Purdue University's "Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation" (IMPACT) which has involved 321 instructors and 529 courses. Of every first-time undergraduate student, who first enrolled at Purdue West Lafayette in fall 2011 to summer 2018, 95.1% of them enrolled in at least one IMPACT course in any academic period during that time. We describe the history and evolution of the program, from its roots in National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT) models and Faculty Learning Communities to an innovative adaptation of Self-Determination Theory principles. The program aims to maximize autonomy support for instructors, as they design classes to meet their instructional goals and student needs. IMPACT uses assessment on multiple levels: What should we examine in addition to grades to document achievement of learning outcomes in individual courses? How do we measure the learning climate and student engagement in a class? Most important, how does a faculty development program focused on course redesign lead to meaningful and lasting institutional change? In telling this story including lessons learned, readers will discover ways to enhance and evaluate their own faculty development programs to effect evidence-based and teaching-centric culture changes on their own campuses. [Foreword by George D. Kuh.]

Roughly one in five American adults, or approximately 53 million people, live with some type of disability, and their unemployment and poverty rates are nearly double the rates of people without disabilities. Labor force participation for people with disabilities is just 20.2 percent--less than a third of the rate of participation among people without disabilities. However, this is often not by choice. At least two-thirds of people with disabilities are striving to work, whether they are already working and want more hours or are unemployed and looking for work. Many who do find work face limited opportunities and are likely to earn less. For example, a worker with a disability who has a high school diploma earns $6,505 less per year than his or her peers without disabilities. The National Governors Association hosted a learning lab on May 9-10, 2018, in Madison, Wisconsin, titled "Building Inclusive Talent Pipelines for People with Disabilities." Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Indiana and Maryland were selected to participate in the learning lab, where they learned about Wisconsin's successes and shared best practices with one another and leading subject matter experts. This paper describes strategies that emerged as best practices in participating states and other states across the country highlighted during the learning lab.

Are private schools safer than public schools? Do they use the same security procedures? Do they suspend or expel students at a higher rate? Do private schools that participate in school choice programs report the same safety issues as private schools that do not participate in school choice programs? How does charter school safety compare to traditional public school safety? This report seeks to rigorously address these questions--and more--by collecting data from 618 school leaders across Indiana. We used their responses to empirically examine the relationship between private schooling and the presence of safety-related practices such as building access, security cameras, wearing of badges or picture IDs and more.

Private school choice options are being proposed and adopted in numerous states across the country. As of the spring of 2019, 62 private school choice programs were in operation in 29 states and the District of Columbia, serving more than 400,000 children. Although growth in private school choice programs and enrollment has been considerable over the past decade, the percentage of private schools participating in school choice options varies considerably by program. Understanding how program design impacts the supply of private schools participating in these programs will be critical for policymakers as they work to create and expand education choice options for families. This report considers whether certain regulations governing school choice programs reduce specialization and diversity in the supply of private schools that participate. Expanding on the prior analysis of the impact of regulations in three locations, the authors chart how schools self-identify prior to and after switching into private school choice program environments in each of the five locations. The authors found that private school leaders in all five locations are more likely to classify their schools as less specialized than they were prior to entering the programs. The authors also found evidence to suggest that more homogenization occurred in more highly regulated voucher programs. These findings suggest a potential homogenizing effect of regulations on school supply, limiting the diversity of the private school market. These findings also suggest policymakers should carefully weigh the costs of regulating private school choice programs, as overregulation could reduce specialization and diversity of school supply in a given school choice program, limiting the options that are available to families.

Sixty-seven school finance reforms (SFRs) in 26 states have taken place since 1990; however, there is little empirical evidence on the heterogeneity of SFR effects. We provide a comprehensive description of how individual reforms affected resource allocation to low- and high-income districts within states, including both financial and non-financial outcomes. After summarizing the heterogeneity of individual SFR impacts, we then examine its correlates, identifying both policy and legislative/political factors. Taken together, this research aims to provide a rich description of variation in states' responses to SFRs, as well as explanation of this heterogeneity as it relates to contextual factors.

The field of learning analytics holds considerable promise for higher education, with reports of successful uses now emerging in selected institutions. At the same time, critics have expressed concerns regarding privacy, ethics, and intrusions into teachers' pedagogy. Without attentive planning, higher-education professionals applying learning analytics may inadvertently undermine their institutions' core teaching and learning missions. The authors offer a framework for moving forward with learning analytics, organized around three principles: (a) Institutions should take the lead in their conversations with vendors, emphasizing the distinctive values of higher education; (b) Learning analytics data should be balanced with other forms of evidence that analytics cannot capture, especially participant experiences; and (c) Successful implementations will leave room for adaptations by people on the ground--to notice what is working and integrate the tools into their practices. Only by empowering students, faculty, and staff can these tools fulfill their potential in higher education.

States increasingly need a more highly skilled workforce to meet the requirements of businesses, keep up with a rapidly changing economy and accelerate growth that leads to economic opportunity for workers and families. As a result, governors recognize that their role is to bring together education, workforce and economic development as talent pipeline partners to better equip workers with skills businesses need. Work-based learning approaches have emerged from these partnerships as a promising strategy to address the mismatch between employer needs and the skill levels of available workers. "States Continue Advancing Strategies to Scale Work-Based Learning" summarizes key actions governors can take to embed work-based learning across education, workforce and economic development systems.

The purpose of this paper is to take a closer look at the states that have designed strong history standards and note what has made them exceptional so other states might do the same. They include Alabama, California, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, and South Carolina. The report draws on interviews with individuals from each state who sat on advisory boards and panels, who shared details on their review process, and identified individuals consulted to design their standards, timetables and outcomes. Members of the state design committees included chairmen of high school history or social studies departments, elementary and middle school teachers, college history professors, members of historical societies and parents. The report also includes seven core recommendations related to process; non-partisanship; the importance of detail and clarity in standards; the need to focus on academic content; the value of civics-based content; encouraging the reading of history in each grade; and finally to promote historical writing in each grade. In all, the paper shows that states can create robust K-12 standards that are clear enough for teachers to employ effectively and that enrich students' understanding of U.S. history. [Preface by Daniel Walker Howe.]

Higher levels of civic and community engagement in higher education are positively associated with students' academic performance and they also build upon citizenship skills such as informed voting. Yet, while these are worthy and important outcomes of higher education, students from disadvantaged backgrounds can have more difficulty navigating civic engagement. Focusing on students at thirteen major public universities in the United States, and utilizing survey data generated by the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium, this study suggest social perspective-taking has a significant positive effect on all students' probability of voting and participating in community service. Students who were asked to identify challenge/solutions to social problems and reflect/act on community issues in the classroom were also more likely to participate in community service. Additionally, Hispanic students and students from lower-income households are significantly less likely to vote and perform community service--findings corroborated by previous research. Females are more likely to vote and participate in community service--findings also corroborated by prior research. Hispanic students and students from low-income backgrounds were more likely to participate in voting and community service if they had increased rates of social perspective-taking. These results suggest that increased opportunities to connect with classmates in the classroom and develop perspective-taking skills (e.g. appreciating the world from someone else's perspective, acknowledging personal differences, interacting with someone with views that are different from your own, and discussing and navigating controversial issues) are potentially quite powerful ways to foster civic engagement among students who traditionally have the lowest civic engagement rates compared to their peers.

Industries in every state are struggling to find qualified applicants for jobs, while job seekers too often find they lack the skills needed to enter or move along a career pathway to a good job. Preparing a workforce that is poised to meet the needs of businesses and ultimately to make the state more economically competitive is a top priority for many governors. "State Strategies to Scale Quality Work-Based Learning" highlights strategies governors can implement to increase opportunities for high-quality, demand-driven work-based learning and prepare their citizens for the modern workforce.

Sometimes what colleges and universities must do to generate revenue is consistent with their academic goals. But often they must choose one over the other. The financial transaction that produces most educational revenue in the United States is "cash-for-credits." Many states allocate their own funding by the credit hour as well, amplifying business incentives produced by tuition. With "cash-for-credits," institutions that want to increase revenue either have to raise the price per credit, enroll more students, or sell more credit hours. "Cash-for-credits" does not offer a sustainable foundation for other things that public higher education must do (focus on low-income students, offer courses in high-cost technical and scientific disciplines, invest in advising and long-term academic planning, give credit for work at other institutions, and coordinate with potential employers). This paper discusses: (1) Types of higher education budgets; (2) Existing financial system supports; (3) Alignment and conflict between institutions and students; (4) Incentives and behavioral economics; (5) Aligning incentives in institutional and student revenue sources; (6) Realigning incentives in state and local appropriations; (7) Realigning incentives in tuition and financial aid; (8) Indiana financial aid reform; (9) Monthly payment plans; (10) Aid like a paycheck; (11) Aligning incentives by redefining the higher education service; and (12) Finance, progress, and outcomes.

This paper examines the key aspects of stakeholder engagement that can strengthen the design, implementation and sustainability of outcomes-based funding policies. We seek to help policymakers understand the prevailing starting-point attitudes of institutional stakeholders, primarily college and university administrators, faculty and staff, and the importance of engaging them throughout the policy process. In addition, we recommend specific strategies for effectively engaging these stakeholders based on our work in multiple states and leading research in the field.

State governments serve as a key funding source for public higher education. An alternative to historically based state subsidies or enrollment-based formulas, outcomes-based funding allows states to convey goals for higher education by allocating state tax dollars based on measures of outcomes. Within higher education institutions, the Responsibility Center Management model engages deans and other mid-level managers in the responsibility and accountability for revenue generation as well as expense management. Policymakers will benefit from understanding this approach and how it could be used in concert with outcomes-based funding to support the development and delivery of new academic paradigms, expand access to underrepresented students, and, ultimately, increase educational attainment for a greater number of people. This article describes the potential alignment between incentives created by the Responsibility Center Management model and goals of outcomes-based funding. With an integration of the two models, there is a greater assurance of achieving the goals of both--fiscal sustainability and student success. By using Responsibility Center Management, college and university administrators are better able to marshal resources to help students complete their degrees and other credentials while also reaping the benefits of an outcomes-based funding system that directs public funding toward institutions that are doing just that.

What does it take to make it successfully through college? For a growing proportion of the nation's students--many of whom are racial and ethnic minorities, from low-income families, or the first in their families to enroll in higher education--the answer encompasses far more than affordable tuition and decent grades. As access to higher education has expanded to embrace these historically underrepresented groups, the formula for student success is increasingly understood to include a mix of programs and incentives tailored to their needs. Legislators are taking notice. Their primary policy objective in financing higher education was once to increase student enrollments. As their focus shifts beyond enrollment to attainment levels and gaps among underrepresented populations, states are developing outcomes-based funding models, which recognize that underrepresented students may require additional academic, financial, and social support to achieve success, and which allocate funding to institutions as a way to further promote a culture of student progression and success. As participation rates in higher education have increased across social and economic groups and non-traditional students have become the norm, the hurdles to success have multiplied for the students themselves and for the institutions that serve them. Outcomes-based funding is a relatively new approach to higher education financing based on the idea that colleges and universities should be supported to do more to foster student success. As public funding has become more constrained and attainment rates have fallen, the question of whether higher education is providing appropriate returns on public investment has become increasingly urgent. As more and more students fail to make timely progress toward a degree, drop out altogether, or do not succeed in finding jobs that leverage their degrees, attention has focused on tools policymakers can use to encourage those outcomes. Outcomes-based funding models are increasingly seen as an effective way to foster the efforts of colleges and universities to assist students once they are enrolled and to help them progress toward graduation. Such funding allocation models have been embraced by a growing number of states, with varied levels of investment and design. In contrast with a traditional funding model based on enrollments, or even a model that allocates a portion of funding based on key performance indicators, outcomes-based funding is a comprehensive model in which all or a substantial part of an institution's funding allocation is oriented toward achieving the state's desired outcome. Experts agree that while it's too early to assess the effectiveness of the state's outcomes-based funding model at increasing attainment, the changes it has ushered in have led to meaningful achievements.

Holding schools accountable for student achievement can only work if the goals are clear. California's school standards are well-regarded nationally for their clarity and their rigor, but it is not clear what courses students are expected to take beyond the minimum graduation requirements. The paper discusses the relatively successful efforts to encourage students to take higher-level courses in high school in two states, Indiana and Texas; it outlines potential stumbling blocks in these efforts; and it suggests three options for California: (1) Do not focus specifically on higher-level course-taking; (2) Propose legislation to raise the minimum courses required for graduation; and (3) Use the bully pulpit to encourage higher-level course-taking in high school.

The Indiana Choice Scholarship Program has the potential to be the largest school voucher program in the country. Though the authorizing legislation capped enrollment in the program at 7,500 for its first year (the 2011-12 school year), that cap was increased to 15,000 for this year, and will be removed for all subsequent years. With careful management, the program has the opportunity to infuse the Hoosier state with a level of choice previously unrealized across the nation. However, without some careful planning and thoughtful consideration of salient program design details and the informal market infrastructure necessary for the program to thrive, the Indiana Choice Program will not be able to reach its full potential. Private school choice in the United States, writ large, has not sparked the types of systemic changes that advocates envisioned when the first choice plans were enacted. Though the gold-standard analyses of choice programs have found positive results, they have been modest and mostly confined to the students participating in the program. When Milton Friedman first made the economic argument for school choice in the 1950s he envisioned choice and competition increasing quality and decreasing cost for education in both the public and private sector, as it has in the private markets of innumerable goods throughout history. However, it appears that for a variety of reasons, choice has not sparked the supply side responses that the economic models predicted. Why has this happened? Why has choice failed to live up to its hype? In short, functioning choice markets do not simply emerge from the ether. They must be cultivated, both on the demand and supply sides. Too often, advocates have pushed an "if you build it, they will come" program design that has neglected many of the necessary conditions for markets to function. Strong program design can establish the playing field on which choice and competition can drive change, but without the support of institutions and organizations within states, the innovative capacity of any program will be greatly curtailed. In this way, the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program can serve as an interesting case study in the cultivation of choice markets. The newness and enormous potential of the program offers a unique opportunity for a meaningful conversation on school choice markets, both how to design them and how to ensure that they function. By examining both program design and the emergence of the institutions and organizations that are necessary to make markets work, the Hoosier State can be used as a model for the potential for choice programs around the country. (Contains 9 footnotes and 2 footnotes.)

As part of a study of two-year instructional opportunities, this paper discusses the structure of associate degrees in Indiana according to the amount of general education required, degree designations used by public institutions in concert with program major designations, and what these requirements and designations imply for transferability. The paper opens with a list of previous working papers related to two-year instructional opportunities in Indiana, a description of terminology used in the analysis, and policy statements for associate degree programs developed by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Next, the paper examines the associate degree programs in Indiana, indicating that the associate of science (AS), the most common degree, is used for career-oriented or transfer programs and the associate of arts (AA) designation is used infrequently and most often designates a liberal arts or general studies degree program. Information from other states is then provided, indicating that ratio of associate degrees conferred by two-year institutions to those by four-year institutions was 1 to 1 in Indiana but 10 to 1 for the nation as a whole. Appendixes include a list of selected out of state degree designations and purposes, policy statements by the AACC, and background information on selected states with a significant public technical college presence. (TGI)

Early awareness strategies, from outreach campaigns to cohort-based learning groups to scholarships, are a group of efforts that help middle school students stay on the path to college and understand how to fund their education. These strategies become part of early awareness programs, which seek to put students on a college-going path by recruiting them in fifth through eighth grades. Such programs introduce many low-income and first-generation students to college and career opportunities they might not otherwise know are available. These programs provide much-needed aid and assistance to many low-income and first-generation students. They communicate with students and inform them that despite their socioeconomic status, they have the option to reach just as high, or even beyond, their higher-income peers. This brief outlines strategies that best promote early awareness in financial aid for middle-grade students, highlights a few examples of successful programs, and provides an overview of recommendations for implementation. This paper is divided into sections outlining four early awareness strategies: (1) children's savings account programs; (2) place-based Promise programs; (3) early commitment scholarships; and (4) informational campaigns. The National College Access Network (NCAN) does not recommend any one strategy over another, but instead discusses the most equitable way to implement each one. [Lisa King Consulting, LLC contributed to the writing of this report.]

This paper examines what public colleges are doing to improve the retention of students, and provides a synopsis of 12 examples of "best practices" in Indiana and 3 from other states. The commission also presents 11 observations, each accompanied by one or more possible strategies that might improve student retention. The observations and strategies fall under the following categories: (1) Knowledge of literature and practices; (2) Scope of programs and activities; (3) Data gathering and analysis; (4) Incentives; (5) Community; (6) Two-year college education; (7) African-American students; (8) Program measurement or assessment; (9) The role of administration and faculty; (10) Student performance; and (11) The future of retention programs in the academic community. Appended are detailed descriptions of the 14 examples of "best practices." At Indiana University Bloomington they have created the Briscoe Academic Support Center, which offers one-on-one tutoring help to undergraduates in the Briscoe residence hall. Others include Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis' Student Mentoring Program, Indiana University East's Supplemental Instruction, Purdue University West Lafayette's Horizons, Purdue University Calumet's University Division, Ball State University's University College, Indiana State University's Enrollment Planning Team, University of Southern Indiana's Academic Skills, Vincennes University's Cope Student Support Services, Ivy Tech State College-Evansville's Career Exploration and Goal-Setting Course, Ivy Tech State College-Kokomo's Quest Program, and Ivy Tech State College-Richmond's Improving Awareness of Tutoring Lab Services. Programs at the University of Michigan, Florida State University, and Xavier University of Louisiana are also described. (AMA)

This paper proposes the use of home-based, family-centered services that are designed to encourage the healthy development of children in their families. Such services would constitute part of a comprehensive approach to the child welfare problem in Indiana. The goals of family-centered services are to: (1) preserve the integrity of the family; (2) link children and families with community agencies; and (3) strengthen families' coping skills. The impact, in human terms, of lack of family services is illustrated by a case scenario. The problems encountered by the family in this scenario could have been prevented by a family-centered service plan that included income assistance, child care, transportation, parent education, and social support. In financial terms, home-based, family-centered services would cost less than foster care and institutional placement. Several Indiana communities have recently implemented home-based, family-centered programs. Two such programs are Families United, which provides services to families in six rural counties; and the Family Life and Education Program, an urban home-based service model serving families in eight central Indiana counties. Appendixes include flyers describing the child welfare cost crisis and the Indiana child and family support campaign. (BC)

This follow-up report addresses three broad aspects of student transfer: (1) transfer between Indiana public college and university campuses; (2) transfer across degree-objective levels; and (3) completion rates and transfer between major fields of study. Of all pre-degree transfers, most (40%) occur between the first and the second year of enrollment. Campus movement is widespread, and offers two key findings: (1) the primary recipient of transferring students is the Indiana University (IU) system, including transfers from one IU campus to another; and (2) Ivy Tech State College received far more transfer students from other institutions than it generated for them. Among students who made the shift from two-year programs to four-year programs, those initially enrolled at a four-year campus and completing a two-year degree demonstrated the highest completion rate of baccalaureate degrees. The highest degree completion rates occurred for students with their initial major in agriculture, language arts, or engineering. Students with undecided or undeclared majors in their first year had the lowest degree completion rates within each degree level category. More than one-fourth of all degree recipients graduated with a degree from a program area different than the program indicated as their major in their first year. An appendix is included. (VWC)

Indiana public policy has frozen local property tax levies for public education funding since the early 1970s, which has resulted in an educational system largely supported by state fiscal aid. A statistical analysis of the fiscal equity of Indiana's school operating expenditures for the latest school year preceding the freeze (1972-73) and the latest available school year (1985-86) is presented in this paper. School operating expenditures for 303 public school districts are analyzed according to two variables: horizontal equity and fiscal neutrality. A conclusion is that despite increased state support, costs paid by local taxing districts have contributed to inequitable school operating expenditures. A relationship exists between taxing district operating expenditures per student and tax rate, between school operating expenditures per pupil and assessed valuation, and between taxing district tax rate and assessed valuation. The recommendation is made for study of public policy on a state-by-state basis. Nine statistical tables are included. (LMI)

In an effort to understand one aspect of the relationship between the secondary and postsecondary sectors in Indiana, this analysis reports data regarding on-site instruction at the secondary school in which students earn dual credit. Under "dual credit" arrangements, a student simultaneously earns credit that will count toward meeting both high school diploma requirements and postsecondary degree requirements. Two tables report a summary of information from participating institutions on various aspects of dual credit instruction. Five public and four private postsecondary institutions reported offering dual credit instruction at secondary schools. A total of 2,348 students took courses on the dual credit basis in the year of the survey. The first table provides information on: institution, program name, who teaches the class, type of students in the class, how students qualify for the class, how postsecondary credit is awarded, and for what courses students can earn postsecondary credit. The second table presents data on: maximum number of postsecondary credits a student can earn, how many students earned credit, what fees students pay, and whether the institutions received enrollment change funding for these students. An appendix contains sections of the Indiana legal code authorizing dual credit arrangements. (JB)

Human capital is the key to economic development. Without highly-skilled workers, states and territories cannot attract the productive businesses they need. That makes higher education a key element of any governor's growth strategy. But many public colleges and universities are struggling to produce more graduates. Overall graduation rates often hover at 50 percent or below, even as tuition is rising sharply. Rising prices and stagnant output provide a recipe for declining productivity. Fortunately, there are promising efforts underway to break the cycle of rising costs and stagnant output. In recent years, a number of states have developed promising new models for improving college and lowering costs at the same time. Several governors have led the push to launch new universities that are injecting new energy and innovation into higher education. Others are setting up high-quality online campuses and helping traditional institutions overhaul courses with technology, boosting student achievement while reducing costs simultaneously. The innovative models presented in this paper can be adapted by governors nationwide to increase the number of college graduates in tough economic times. (Contains 1 figure.)

A study examined the status of reading in Indiana's public schools. Questionnaires were returned by 460 of the state's 615 public middle, junior, and senior high schools. Results indicated that: (1) new book acquisitions in Indiana's school library media center book collections were only about one-fourth of the recommended number needed to keep collections current; (2) teachers spent less than four hours per year in staff development activities related to reading; (3) much of the time spent by certified media specialists (in those 95% of schools which had such a specialist) was spent on other than library-related duties; (4) almost one out of five students was not enrolled in a class where reading was emphasized during the 1991 school year; (5) 38% of the students whose reading ability fell two or more grade levels below their actual placement were not provided any special assistance; (6) the majority of schools surveyed estimated that 30% or fewer of their students used the nearest public library; (7) most of the schools provided neither programs to encourage teachers to share and discuss books nor programs that allow them to stress the value of reading books; and (8) few schools helped parents encourage their children to read. Findings suggest that Indiana's middle, junior, and senior high schools do not place a high priority on reading. (Twenty-three tables of data are included; a statement of seven policy issues and related recommendations, 56 references, and the questionnaire are attached.) (RS)

Care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRISs) have advanced and matured, a number of states and localities have undertaken evaluations to validate the systems. Such efforts stem from the desire to ensure that the system is designed and operating in the ways envisioned when the system was established. Given that a central component in a QRIS is the rating system, a key concern is whether the rating process, including the use of particular measures and the manner in which they are combined and cut scores are applied, produces accurate and understandable ratings that capture meaningful differences in program quality across rating levels. The aim of this paper is to review the set of studies that seek to validate QRIS rating systems in one of several ways: by examining the relationship between program ratings and objective measures of program quality; by determining if program ratings increase over time; and by estimating the relationship between program ratings and child developmental outcomes. Specifically, we review 14 such validation studies that address one or more of these three questions. Together, these 14 studies cover 12 QRISs in 11 states or substate areas: Colorado, Florida (two counties), Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia. In reviewing the literature, we are interested in the methods and measures they employ, as well as the empirical results. To date, most validation studies have found that programs with higher ratings had higher environment rating scores (ERSs), but the ERS is often one of the rating elements. Independent measures of quality have not always shown the expected positive relationship with quality. The handful of studies that have examined how ratings change over time have generally shown that programs participating in the QRIS did improve their quality or quality ratings. Studies that examine the relationship between QRIS ratings and child development are the most challenging to implement and can be costly to conduct when independent child assessments are performed. Consequently, there has been considerable variation in methods to date across these studies. Among the four studies with the stronger designs, two found the expected relationship between QRIS ratings and child developmental gains. The lack of robust findings across these studies indicate that QRISs, as currently configured, do not necessarily capture differences in program quality that are predictive of gains in key developmental domains. Based on these findings, the paper discusses the opportunities for future QRIS validation studies, including those conducted as part of the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge grants, to advance the methods used and contribute not only to improvement of the QRIS in any given state, but also to add to the knowledge base about effective systems more generally. [This report was prepared for the Delaware Office of Early Learning.]

Findings from an evaluation of a workplace literacy program funded by the State of Indiana are presented. Working with employers, providers were given considerable latitude to design their own training regimens. The state awarded certificates to workers who achieved certain levels of proficiency in reading, math, critical thinking, problem solving (assessed by CASAS), and computer literacy (certified by IC3). The evaluation relied on qualitative and quantitative data. Multiple site visits were undertaken and a survey of participants (n = 1800), learning gains, and earnings histories were quantitatively analyzed. Key findings include a significant interest in college attendance by incumbent workers, higher-than-expected levels of literacy in pre-assessments, little reliance on contextualization, and the importance of a program champion and supervisory support at workplaces. Business return was not formally measured, but employers and workers reported significant morale gains and frequent productivity gains. (Contains 5 tables and 3 footnotes.)

In order to gather information detailing the extent and effectiveness of oral history projects in public libraries, questionnaires were sent to public libraries in 11 states that listed "oral history" among their resources in the American Library Directory, and to a small number of other libraries in these states with oral history projects that have been mentioned in the literature. A total of 182 questionnaires were sent; of the 111 libraries that replied, 6 reported no oral history resources. Usable replies were received from 105 libraries. Following an introduction and discussion of the methodology, this report examines projects developed in California, Illinois, Indiana, and New York in each of the following time periods: pre-1970, 1970-76, and post-1976. Successful projects are noted for each of these states. Oral history projects in seven other states--Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Florida, Idaho, Alabama, and Georgia--are also described, but in less detail. Finally, comments and advice, conclusions and recommendations, and a bibliography are provided. (THC)

Income replacement and reemployment programs in Michigan and its neighboring states were examined in the context of recent changes in federal policy regarding compensation and services for individuals who have lost their jobs or sustained job-related injuries. The analysis focused primarily on the following programs: (1) Unemployment Insurance (UI); (2) Workers' Compensation (WC); and (3) the cluster of reemployment and training programs that, since 1998, have come under the Workforce Investment Act. The analysis established that UI, Michigan Works!, and WC are unique among Michigan's programs because they replace lost earnings and deliver services to workers on a regular basis, whereas other programs intended to improve workers' well-being do so solely through regulation. UI and Michigan Works! are all becoming increasing contentious in the wake of welfare reform and the first recession in a decade. Although WC has been relatively free of controversy during the past decade, it, too, may be under increasing pressure as medical costs resume their rise. Despite the recent arguments regarding the generosity of their benefits and the appropriate extent of training for disadvantaged workers, UI, Michigan Works!, and WC have all gained widespread acceptance as essential to efficient funding of the labor market. (Thirteen figures/tables are included. The bibliography lists 57 references.) (MN)