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The recent turn toward core practices and practice-based teacher education has been accompanied by a growing literature on the definitions, pedagogies to teach, and assessments of core practices. Despite these developments, the field lacks core practices performance assessments designed to be used across course sections, courses, and subjects. This paper provides an existence proof of this type of assessment and investigates the affordances and constraints of the approach. The study describes three types of mixed-reality simulation-based performance tasks of three core practices. More than 400 novices in 64 teacher preparation programs in the United States reported that they were able to use the simulation environment and believed the tasks measure important teaching skills. Scores on the tasks were positively related to novices' prior academic and teacher education experiences. Implications for the formative use of such simulations are discussed.

The outlook for high school graduates who have no postsecondary or industry-recognized credentials can appear bleak. Today, it is critical that young people obtain at least some training beyond high school to succeed in the job market. States bear a cost, too, when this is not achieved: They have a less skilled workforce to attract business investment and must allocate limited federal and state resources to more social services for their unemployed and underemployed youth. That is why governors are considering youth apprenticeship to connect more young people to career paths at an earlier age, while at the same time filling businesses' unmet workforce needs. Youth apprenticeship offers paid, hands-on work experience and related classroom instruction that result in postsecondary or industry-recognized credentials. Youth apprenticeship programs often remain underused, especially in high-growth, white-collar industries, but governors are exploring ways to guide development and expansion of these programs. This white paper explores three strategies that governors can use to expand youth apprenticeship: (1) Act as a public champion by setting a statewide vision and convening stakeholders to collaboratively implement that vision; (2) Allocate and use dedicated funding to start and expand programs that support youth apprentices and guide them through their career pathways; and (3) Implement policies that provide long-term support for high-quality youth apprenticeship programs. The governors of Colorado, Kentucky, Maryland and North Carolina have used these strategies to successfully develop and expand youth apprenticeship in their states. These states are highlighted in the case studies presented in this paper, which offer insights to inform other governors' efforts to expand youth apprenticeship and further connect high school education to workforce preparation and high-quality employment opportunities.

Internships are widely promoted extra-curricular experiences that can have positive impacts on student outcomes, yet how specific elements of internships contribute to these outcomes and facilitate learning is understudied. In this sequential mixed-methods study, we use sociocultural learning theory to interpret data from surveys (n = 435) and focus groups (n = 52) with students at five postsecondary institutions. After stepwise linear regression analyses indicated that supervisor behaviors were significantly associated with intern satisfaction and career development, analyses of qualitative data revealed features of positive (clear communication, availability, feedback) and negative (unavailability, inattention to learning) aspects of supervision. These results highlight the value of legitimate peripheral participation in internships, and the need for colleges and employers to carefully design and monitor these pedagogic spaces.

Internships are widely perceived as a "high-impact practice" that opens the doors of opportunity for college students, yet little is known about obstacles to participation. Instead, educators and employers too often view participation as unproblematic, with many postsecondary institutions beginning to mandate internships for graduation in many colleges and universities. This study reports findings from surveys (n = 1,549) and focus groups (n= 100) with students at five diverse postsecondary institutions that include a community college, a Historically Black College and University, and three comprehensive universities. Results indicate that 64% of students who did not take internships had in fact wanted to, but could not due to intersecting obstacles that include the need to work at a full- or part-time job, heavy course loads, and a lack of opportunities in their disciplines. First-generation students were more likely to report needing to work, Arts & Humanities students were more likely to report insufficient pay and heavy course loads, and full-time students were least likely to report insufficient pay. Given the financial, structural, and even spatial forces that inhibit the ability of many college students to pursue and then complete an internship, we argue that postsecondary institutions should not mandate or advocate for internships until and unless they address these obstacles to internship participation. Ultimately, colleges and universities must work to ensure that internships do not reproduce privilege and exacerbate inequality.

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.

A growing number of U.S. companies across a range of industries are designing apprenticeship programs to give workers access to on-the-job learning opportunities that allow them to transition into in-demand jobs and careers. This discussion paper provides a snapshot of the current state of apprenticeship in the United States based on interviews with national experts and key stakeholders engaged in apprenticeship implementation, including employers, community colleges, unions, and intermediaries. It explores what is needed to build successful programs and highlights current federal and state policy efforts to encourage registered apprenticeship expansion, noting barriers and lessons learned. Four recommendations for how to grow registered apprenticeship opportunities in the United States are: (1) Provide standardized models; (2) Reduce complexity; (3) Measure Value; and (4) Learn from Innovative Models. A sidebar presents examples of state incentives and supports for apprenticeship programs in Colorado, Maryland, and South Carolina. [This paper was produced with funding from the Nestlé USA corporation.]

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.

This paper highlights the successful efforts of one state, Maryland, to strategically select and train its most promising future leaders in order to prepare them for the leadership responsibilities associated with leading schools that have increased expectations for all students. Under the leadership of the governor's office, and with support from the legislature and the State Board of Education, Maryland's Department of Education created a principal talent development program that annually prepares nearly 50 new leaders for its 24 public school districts. The program relies upon the existing talent in the state, including current and former principals, as well as some state resources, to connect promising principals with veteran principals through a structured learning and networking experience. The program helps to solve a decades-old challenge by building a pool of qualified candidates who are ready to lead schools. Through this project, Maryland has effectively constructed a pipeline for promising candidates out of experiences and support systems that most candidates need before they can become effective in their new roles.

Since 2012, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has maintained a statewide predictive analytics system providing schools with an early warning in middle grades of students at risk for not completing high school. DPI is considering extending and enhancing this system, known as the Dropout Early Warning System (DEWS). The proposed enhancements include better understanding how and why schools use a tool like DEWS, supports and training necessary to translate DEWS into school change, and extending DEWS into other domains such as college and career readiness. This paper identifies national models of predictive analytic systems in education, including a focus on the Early Warning Implementation Monitoring System (EWIMS) (National High School Center, 2013). The paper explores how such policies might succeed in achieving their goals (e.g., dropout prevention and reduction of predictive at-risk behaviors), ways that districts and schools can make the policies more successful, and how states and state agencies like DPI might strengthen the policies, thereby facilitating local success. The paper recommends that DPI consider: (1) fostering a network of schools for professional development and support of implementation of predictive analytics like DEWS and EWIMS; (2) developing modifications of predictive analytic indicators to measure short-term change and progress; (3) merging predictive analytics with findings of current research funded by the statewide longitudinal data system grant that will identify effective strategies for supporting students with different at-risk profiles; (4) soliciting schools for voluntary implementation of the full DEW/EWIMS model; and (5) sponsoring research on existing practices of how schools identify and intervene on behalf of at-risk students. The analysis and recommendations of the paper should not be considered as final but rather as material for further discussion and deliberation--in essence as food for thought and inquiry. The paper is organized as follows. First is a description of the details of DEWS as an example of implementation of a predictive analytics tool. Second is a logic model of the policy, which is the theory of change underlying its intended positive effects on outcomes. Third, beginning an initial assessment of the theory of change tracing the policy from schools and students, is an analysis of the strength of predictive analytic policies, using a framework developed by Porter, Floden, Freeman, Schmidt, & Schwille (1988). Fourth, following the logic model to the school level, is an analysis of the characteristics of organization and process required for successful implementation in schools, using a framework developed by Gamoran and colleagues (2003). Finally, the paper turns to the question of how outside agencies might enable successful implementation of predictive analytics, with a description of the results of a study of how three school districts supported use of college readiness indicators, followed by a discussion of how DPI might strengthen its own policies.

The role of the public school principal has expanded dramatically in recent decades. The expanded role means they are now significant multipliers of effective teaching and have a real opportunity to affect student achievement. Most states have spent recent years working to improve teacher effectiveness, recognizing its importance in improving student outcomes. States have focused considerably less on principals as levers for school improvement, however, research on the importance of school principals in advancing student learning is compelling. Governors have authority over principal preparation programs in their state and are uniquely positioned to address gaps in the systems that influence aspiring and current school leaders at the state and local school district levels. "Promising Practices in Boosting School Leadership Capacity: Principal Academies" explores principal academies--a tool that governors can add to their policy toolkit to augment preparation and training for aspiring and sitting public school principals.

In 2012, five foundations launched the Credit When Its Due (CWID) initiative that was "designed to encourage partnerships of community colleges and universities to significantly expand programs that award associate degrees to transfer students when the student completes the requirements for the associate degree while pursuing a bachelor's degree" (Lumina Foundation, 2012, n.p.), also known as "reverse transfer." Initially, 12 states (Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Oregon) were funded to develop and implement these reverse transfer programs and policies, and the Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was chosen as the research partner. In late 2013, three states (Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas) were added to bring the total number of states to 15. At least six additional states have legislation, pending legislation, or statewide initiatives related to reverse transfer. This thought paper describes changes that are occurring at the state, system, and institution levels with implementation of reverse transfer in the 12 original states. Using qualitative and quantitative data collected from the CWID Implementation Study, the authors describe efforts related to the optimization of reverse transfer in these 12 states. The authors define optimization as policy and program change at any level--state, system, or institution--that yields the largest number of students who are eligible for and able to benefit from reverse transfer. The initial results suggest that some states are piloting reverse transfer with a limited set of public community college and university partnerships, and others are striving for system-level reforms that eventually may impact all forms of transfer. Understanding what optimization means and how it works is possible because of this variation in implementation approaches among states, and this thought paper explores how states are implementing and optimizing reverse transfer.

The education system of the United States is not adequately preparing a large proportion of its students for college, career-training, and, ultimately, jobs that provide enough income to support a middle class standard of living. Because the education system has failed to attain hoped-for outcomes, some states are investigating new systems, including competency-based education (CBE). A model based on CBE starts by assessing what a student knows and then allows that student to advance at a pace that reflects his or her knowledge and skills. In the process, CBE encourages student success by providing targeted learning support, thereby creating a more personalized educational experience. Once in higher education or job training, CBE allows older students (traditional-age college students or adult learners) to learn on their own time at their own pace. As competency-based pilot projects are developed in kindergarten to high school classrooms and schools (K-12) and higher education institutions, policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels are discussing options about how to support and expand CBE in both K-12 and higher education, as well as strengthen the bridge between the two systems. CBE has the potential to improve the education system of the United States by allowing more students to receive the support they need when they need it to learn effectively and master the desired content and skills, and governors are in a position to bring these efforts together and explore the transition from an education system that holds time constant and varies what students learn to a CBE system that varies time but holds content mastery constant. The promise of such a system is that it can adjust the methods of instruction and assistance to provide deeper, more personalized learning and help ensure that all students meet or exceed the high expectations of rigorous and relevant standards.

In this paper, the authors draw on empirical data from CCRC's Scaling Innovation project to examine trends in developmental education instructional reform and outline a framework for reform adoption and adaptation. The paper's findings are based on two qualitative data sources: a scan of developmental education reforms that involved changes to curricula, course structure, and/or pedagogy; and fieldwork conducted at 11 colleges working to replicate high-potential instructional innovations developed at other colleges. The data suggest that colleges tend to enact developmental education reforms in ways that may unintentionally undermine their potential benefits. The authors present a framework for engaging practitioners in activities that will increase the impact of their developmental education reforms while strengthening institutional capacity. Appended are: (1) Scaling Innovation Partner Programs; and (2) Methods.

In recent years, "continuous improvement" has become a popular catchphrase in the field of education. However, while continuous improvement has become commonplace and well-documented in other industries, such as healthcare and manufacturing, little is known about how this work has manifested itself in education. This white paper attempts to map the landscape of this terrain by identifying and describing organizations engaged in continuous improvement, and by highlighting commonalities and differences among them. The findings classify three types of organizations engaged in continuous improvement: those focused on instructional improvement at the classroom level; those concentrating on system-wide improvement; and those addressing collective impact. Each type is described in turn and illustrated by an organizational case study. Through the analysis, six common themes that characterize all three types of organizations (e.g., leadership and strategy, communication and engagement, organizational infrastructure, methodology, data collection and analysis, and building capacity) are enumerated. This white paper makes four concluding observations. First, the three case studies provide evidence of organizations conducting continuous improvement work in the field of education, albeit at different levels and in different ways. Second, entry points to continuous improvement work are not mutually exclusive, but are nested and, hence, mutually informative and comparative. Third, continuous improvement is not synonymous with improving all organizational processes simultaneously; rather, research and learning cycles are iterative and gradual in nature. Fourth, despite being both iterative and gradual, it is imperative that improvement work is planned and undertaken in a rigorous, thoughtful, and transparent fashion. The following are appended: (1) Selected Continuous Improvement Methodologies; (2) Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence Framework; (3) Examples of Improvement Artifacts from the School District of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin; (4) Examples of Improvement Artifacts from Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland; and (5) Examples of Improvement Artifacts from Strive Partnership Cincinnati.

Building a stronger teacher workforce requires the thoughtful orchestration of multiple processes working together in a human capital system. This white paper presents a framework that can be used to take stock of current efforts to enhance the teacher workforce in school districts or educational organizations, as well as their underlying theories of how the teacher workforce improves over time. The paper refines and provides evidentiary support for a human capital system framework composed of four subsystems that ideally work together to build a stronger teacher workforce: (1) getting the right teachers in the right positions on time (Acquire); (2) supporting professional growth in school-based learning communities (Develop); (3) nurturing, rewarding, and challenging high-performing teachers (Sustain); and (4) informing evidence-based personnel decisions (Evaluate). Attention to this framework will engender a corps of teachers with the capacity and expertise to collectively facilitate enhanced educational outcomes.

The literature on teacher preparation programs in the United States is extensive. However, there is limited scientifically based research on what kind of program produces effective teachers; rather, the literature consists mostly of calls for change in teacher preparation programs. Almost all experts agree that major changes are needed in these programs, with the emphasis being to produce teachers who are effective in enhancing student learning. This paper reports evidence-based research and offers suggestions based on studies that include theoretical work, qualitative analysis, statistical analysis, and randomized experience that could provide strong causal evidence of the effects of teacher preparation on student learning. Key points of this briefing paper include the following: (1) Relevant clinical experience is a critical part of a teacher preparation program; (2) Programs must take advantage of existing technology and support its innovative use as a tool for teacher preparation and as a tool for teachers in the classroom; and (3) Multiple sources of data should be collected and analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of preparation programs.

AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) is collaborating with BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study) in the development of a curriculum unit for eighth grade students that connects fundamental chemistry and biology concepts to better prepare them for high school biology. Recognizing that teachers play an influential role in delivering the curriculum to students, we developed teacher support materials and professional development designed to help teachers use the unit effectively. In order to learn about the promise of the teacher support materials, we developed an assessment targeting aspects of participating teachers' (n = 8) science content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for the specific learning goals of the unit. Specifically, the assessment targeted three areas of teachers' knowledge: 1) content knowledge 2) knowledge of student thinking, and 3) knowledge of strategies to move student thinking forward, across four item contexts: 1) chemical reactions, 2) conservation of mass, 3) flow of matter in living systems, and 4) plant growth. Teachers took the assessment three times: before PD, after PD, and after teaching the unit. The assessment items were mainly constructed response and were scored using indicators of success and difficulty. Teachers made gains over time in most of the knowledge areas and across most of the contexts. Areas where they did not make clear progress, or where their knowledge was particularly low, indicated that either the assessment instrument or the teacher support materials could be improved. Revisions based on these findings are reported. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

This paper presents the findings from a follow-up quantitative analysis of the Community College of Baltimore County's Accelerated Learning Program (ALP). The results suggest that among students who enroll in the highest level developmental writing course, participation in ALP is associated with substantially better outcomes in terms of English 101 completion and English 102 completion (college-level English courses), which corroborates the results of a similar analysis completed in 2010. Moreover, using a larger number of cohorts and tracking students over a longer period of time, we also found that ALP students were more likely than non-ALP students to persist to the next year. In addition to specific subgroup analyses, we compared college-ready students enrolled in ALP sections of English 101 with their counterparts in wholly college-ready sections, and found that those in ALP sections had equivalent performance within English 101 itself, but slightly lower subsequent college-level course enrollment and completion. (Contains 2 figures, 8 tables, and 7 footnotes.)

Learning communities are a popular strategy that community colleges nationwide have embraced in support of developmental students. In a learning community, a cohort of students takes two or more courses linked by integrated themes and assignments that are developed through ongoing faculty collaboration. While the number of learning community programs continues to grow, rigorous studies measuring their effectiveness are limited. To address this need for evidence, the Learning Communities demonstration, launched in 2007, uses random assignment to test models of learning communities at six community colleges: Kingsborough Community College, Queensborough Community College, Hillsborough Community College, Merced College, Houston Community College System, and Community College of Baltimore County. The study is designed to determine: (1) how learning communities can be designed to address the needs of academically underprepared students; (2) the effects of learning communities on student achievement, as measured by test scores, credits earned, and grades; (3) the effects of learning communities on students' persistence in higher education; and (4) what learning communities cost and how these costs compare with the costs of standard college programs for students with low basic skills. Preliminary findings will be available in 2009. This working paper describes the study's design, including a summary of the theoretical and empirical research relevant to learning communities, descriptions of the sites and their learning community models, the random assignment procedures, and plans for data analysis. (Contains 7 tables, 1 figure, and 67 notes.) [This paper was produced by the National Center for Postsecondary Research. It was written with the assistance of Oscar Cerna, Christine Sansone, and Michelle Ware.]

The purpose of this briefing paper is to conceptualize a social responsibility and public policy agenda for Montgomery College. The briefing paper provides (a) a well researched perspective to embed a College culture to actualize social responsibility and public policy as institutional practices; (b) examines some of the opportunities and challenges of such an agenda based on a past College initiative; (c) discusses the epistemology and pedagogy of outreach, social responsibility, and public policy; and (d) proposes an organizational structure for establishing an Institute or Center at the College to shepherd a social responsibility and public policy agenda. (Contains 2 figures.)

This paper presents the findings from a quantitative analysis of the Community College of Baltimore County's Accelerated Learning Program (ALP). Under ALP, students placed into upper-level developmental writing are "mainstreamed" into English 101 classes and simultaneously enrolled in a companion ALP course (taught by the same instructor) that meets in the class period immediately following the English 101 class. The aim of the ALP course, which has only eight students, is to help students maximize the likelihood of their success in English 101. Our results suggest that among students who place into the highest level developmental writing course, participating in ALP is associated with substantially better outcomes in terms of English 101 completion and English 102 completion, the two primary outcomes ALP was designed to improve. However, we found no evidence that ALP students' greater likelihood of completing English 101 and 102 correlates with increased rates of college persistence or passing other college-level courses. Looking at the costs of ALP in relation to our findings on its effects, we found that ALP is a more cost-effective pathway through the required college-level English courses than the traditional developmental English sequence as measured by cost per successful student ($2,680 versus $3,122). A rough cost-benefit analysis finds that the benefits of ALP are more than double the costs. Appended are: (1) Tables; and (2) Accelerated Learning Program, Community College of Baltimore County Cost Analysis Details. (Contains 7 tables and 17 footnotes.)

With the tuition cost of traditional colleges and universities soaring and education technology advancing, online courses and degree programs are becoming more common. Some critics argue that an online degree cannot provide all the important features of a traditional college education, from extracurricular activities to new professional networks, but the evidence disputes much of that criticism, especially for certain groups of students. Indeed, some aspects of online education may provide a better experience than a traditional brick-and-mortar college for some students. (Contains 49 footnotes.)

As the impact of worldwide carbon emissions comes into sharper focus, college and university sustainability efforts are increasingly turning green, focusing on ways to use resources more efficiently, consume less, and reduce campus carbon footprints. Yet, despite the direct impact of IT on institutional carbon levels and the potential for new technologies to reduce inefficiencies, campus IT is not always brought to the meeting table. In November, campus leaders in IT and facilities gathered in Adelphi, Maryland, at the University of Maryland, University College, for a two-day EDUCAUSE Summit on IT Greening and Sustainability to begin building connections between campus IT and wider sustainability efforts. This white paper captures key findings from the two days of brainstorming, discussion, and resource sharing and outlines a higher education agenda for moving forward. (Contains 18 endnotes.)

The idea of a set of skills, usually called civic skills, which are required to effectively participate in civic and political life, is integral to many concepts of political participation. This literature search is designed to investigate what is known about civic skills empirically and theoretically including how they are defined and measured, and what relationship they have to political participation. This literature review began with the work most familiar to political scientists, Verba, Schlozman and Brady's "Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics" (1995). which defines civic skills and incorporates them into a larger conceptual framework on political participation. From political science, the author moved to the education field, where civic skills-related literature is dispersed in the civic education and service learning arenas. A third set of research focused on experimental programs including service learning and youth development. The author explored psychology literature, looking at authors whose work has crossed between developmental psychology and political socialization as related to skill development. The author notes that there is dispersion of literature with very little cross-over; disparate fields seem to be doing important work, with significant overlap in findings and observations, but most authors stay largely focused on their own disciplinary predecessors, not venturing deeply into other disciplines to inform their work. Kirlin concludes with several observations about the state of knowledge concerning civic skills and a menu of questions for further research attention, including: (1) Lack of definition; (2) Need for better understanding of the process of how to measure emerging civic skills; (3) Concepts about how civic skills relate to broader questions of civic engagement, and political participation between disciplines; (4) Lack of literature and understanding of such complex skill acts as learning to work with others to achieve a common good; (5) Exploration of the rationale for placement of civic skills within specific age groupings; (6) Better understanding of skill transfer and causal relationships; (7) Importance of organization structure; (8) Consideration of civic skills in complete context, rather than in a vacuum; and (9) Encouraging as well as understanding factors in political participation. (Contains 3 figures.) [This document was produced by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE).]

Researchers have theorized that programs to promote positive citizenship should begin with an opportunity for adolescents to participate in civic activities, such as community service or political volunteering. In this report, the authors expand this theoretical perspective by arguing that programs to promote positive citizenship may need to begin by focusing on: social interactions in youths' lives, such as interactions with parents and peers and on the culture in which youth are raised. The authors hypothesize that these informal interactions socialize or "prime" youth to have the motivation and values that subsequently lead to positive citizenship behaviors. To examine their hypothesis, the authors collected data during a period judged to be one which afforded an opportunity to participate in a positive citizenship activity salient to a large percentage of the sample population. The authors conclude that their findings contribute to the field of youth civic engagement by providing more concrete evidence for the unique effects that informal social interactions have on youth, above and beyond previous citizenship engagement, religiosity, parental education, ethnicity and gender. Additionally, the authors conclude that early adolescents who have altruistic values and a motivation to better society are more likely to engage in citizenship activities later in adolescence. More specifically for African American youth, ethnic-related experiences and attitudes that are salient or matter to the youths' self-concepts appear to be important predictors of later citizenship engagement. From this finding, the authors theorize the key component of ethnic socialization to be the salience of the socialization and the subsequent citizenship activity to the youth's self-concept. The results are discussed with regard to program and policy development as well as future research directions. (Contains 1 figure and 6 tables.) [This report was produced by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE).]

Of the nearly 100 different types of high school diplomas that are awarded across all fifty states and the District of Columbia, less than half prepare students for success in college and career. And while the national high school graduation rate is at an all-time high, the rate at which students earn these college- and career-ready (CCR) diplomas is substantially lower, especially among students from low-income families, students of color, and other traditionally underserved students. "Paper Thin? Why All High School Diplomas Are Not Created Equal" provides a state-by-state analysis of the different types of diplomas that states awarded to the Class of 2014 and the impact on traditionally underserved students. [Robyn Harper, Francisco Jaimes, Liz Spurgeon, and Sean Bradley contributed to this report.]

A statewide system of reporting faculty workload for the 18 Maryland state community colleges is described, and study findings on faculty workload are presented. Data are collected for full-time teaching faculty who are tenured or on continuous contract. Major findings include: 89 percent of faculty workload is spent in formal classroom instruction; the statewide average for released time is three hours annually per faculty member (approximately one class); 83 percent of full-time faculty teach eight or more classes annually; a typical full-time faculty member generates an average of 547 student credit hours annually, and a typical full-time faculty member teaches an average of 21 students per class. The format for the faculty workload report is illustrated, and data are presented for the specific community colleges, which are grouped by size (large, medium, small). The data collected cover: number of faculty, contractual teaching hours, released time hours, contractual workload hours, teaching overload hours, total workload hours, contractual sections taught, overload sections taught, total students taught, average section size, and student credit hours. (SW)

The Evaluation of Worker Profiling and Reemployment Services (WPRS) systems was designed to provide the U.S. Department of Labor information on how states are designing, implementing, and operating their worker profiling and reemployment services systems for dislocated workers and to compare the effectiveness of different state approaches to operating WPRS systems in accomplishing the goals of the WPRS initiatives. Phase I of this evaluation examined how Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, and Oregon, the prototype states, and Maryland, the test state, designed and implemented their WPRS systems. Data were collected through site visits, review of profiling proposals and activity reports submitted by the states, and a consumer satisfaction survey of a sample of profiled and referred claimants in the states. The study found that most of the states used profiling models to identify which claimants were selected for and referred to services. All states initially screened out certain persons, such as those who were expected to be recalled by their employers. The states used the initial unemployment service claim as the main source of data for profiling. Profiling models included as a dependent variable whether a claimant exhausted benefits and explanatory variables such as definitions of declining industries. Special services were provided to the profiled clients, and clients were generally pleased with the way they were treated and that they were encouraged to find suitable jobs. The study recommended steps to improve the implementation of WPRS systems, including early intervention, improved services, more focus on customer satisfaction, automated feedback systems, and sanctions. (The report includes 25 tables of data developed during the study. Four appendixes provide the following: (1) descriptive profiles of the state programs; (2) the customer satisfaction survey; (3) analysis of non-response to the customer satisfaction survey; and (4) a state implementation database. Contains 15 references.) (KC)

This study examined efforts at the local level to reduce the fragmentation of services to students with and without disabilities through the consolidation or blending of federal and state categorical educational programs. Twenty-two state and local program administrators in California, Maryland, and Massachusetts were interviewed. Findings include examples of collaborative programs and of administrative mechanisms such as school improvement plans, consolidated staffing plans, and schoolwide Title I programs. Specific challenges to program consolidation are identified, including multifunded students, bilingual teacher shortages, Title I program audits, and nonsupplanting requirements. Finally, the human factor in change is addressed, noting the roles of program leadership, lack of knowledge, advocacy for students and programs, teacher attitudes and qualifications, and the "power" of special education. Findings suggest that there is a clear trend to foster greater collaboration at the school building level, with the focus on inclusion of students with disabilities having a significant influence. Additionally, changing demographics and increasing fiscal concerns are creating pressures on local school districts to use resources more efficiently and find more flexible ways to educate increasingly diverse student populations. A list of interviewees and interview questions is appended. (DB)

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.)

The U.S. spends twice as much as the average industrialized country on higher education, but continues to slide relative to other nations in the percentage of young adults with an associate degree or higher. Despite recent reductions in state aid to higher education, state taxpayers continue to be the largest single source of unrestricted funds that colleges need to hire faculty and provide core student services. This means that governors and other state policymakers continue to have significant leverage over the priorities and direction of their public higher education systems. Governors are in a key position to use finance as a lever to promote higher education productivity through their budgeting authority, their annual budget addresses, and other finance-related powers. This paper presents three primary strategies governors can employ to restructure college costs and graduate many more students from high quality programs within existing resources.

Afterschool and competency-based learning are increasingly emerging as student-centered, supportive learning models to prepare students for college and career. This white paper explores the intersection and relationship between these two fields, recommends ideal policy environments for implementing successful programs, provides real-world examples, and shines a spotlight on emerging trends for the future.

Factors that 1983 National Merit and National Achievement Semifinalists in Maryland felt influenced their college choice were studied. The 143 survey respondents were asked to indicate how important 22 factors were in the selection of a college. The factors covered items dealing with the characteristics of the college, efforts by the institution to contact students, and influential persons in the lives of the students. Respondents were also asked to estimate the proportion of first-year college costs (tuition and fees, room and board) that would be covered by the financial aid package offered by their college. The reasons that appeared to be instrumental in attracting the greatest number of students were related to perceived strengths of the institution and how well the institution serves its graduates. The following reasons were cited most frequently (in ascending order of frequency): the overall reputation of the school, the attractiveness of the program in the students's major, the success of the graduates in finding a job or getting into graduate or professional school, and the quality of the student body at the institution. Data are included on the responses of students who chose public and private colleges and those of students who went to out-of-state schools. In addition, students' reasons were compared by sex and race. (SW)

The role of the public library within intertype library networks was studied using published reports and information provided by selected state and regional libraries. Intertype networks cross jurisdictional, and often governmental, boundaries to join academic, special, and public libraries. The history, objectives, methods, and fiscal and administrative structures of intertype networks, their potential for interface with regional and national networks, and their cost effectiveness were assessed. Three large states with the most intertype networking experience--New York, California, and Illinois--were chosen for analysis. Networking activities in Maryland and Washington states were also considered along with the Southwestern Library Interstate Cooperative Enterprise (SLICE), a normative multistate network. It was concluded that the intertype network is a rapidly spreading phenomenon and that the public library system commonly serves as its nucleus. It was recommended that national coordination, with shared state and federal responsibility, should begin. (Author/SL)

An investigation of the attitudes of three groups of key administrative-supervisory personnel in the 24 local education agencies of the State of Maryland, the study focused on 108 individuals from central office personnel, 69 principals from area vocational high schools, and 111 principals of comprehensive high schools to determine their perceptions toward the career education concept. It investigated views toward the importance and need of career education, grade span and content of career education, implementation of career education, vocational education philosophy, and vocational education expansion. A Likert-type career education scale was selected for gathering data. No significant differences were revealed among the attitudes of the three groups concerning the purposes, content, progression, and need for career education; involvement of all students in career education; philosophy and expansion of vocational education; and the idea that career education will provide a unified school. Significant differences were found among the attitudes of school superintendents, directors of career education, directors of guidance and counseling, directors of instruction, and directors of vocational education toward item 2, "Public schools have not helped in giving sufficient orientation about occupational choices to students." A copy of the Career Attitude Scale-Survey Instrument is included. (EA)

In the 1980s and the early 1990s Congress failed to approve enterprise zone legislation which sought to help revitalize areas of high unemployment, poverty, and crime and low educational achievement by reducing taxes, relieving regulation, and eliminating other barriers to development. Establishment of comprehensive and sustained enterprise zone programs requires a multibillion dollar commitment by Federal and state government. Enterprise zone bills share three characteristics with previous assistance programs: eligibility criteria, limitation on the number of areas receiving assistance, and delineation of the type and level of assistance offered. Enterprise zone bills have been proposed since 1980. Only in 1987 did Congress authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to designate up to 100 enterprise zones; this opportunity has since expired. Given other domestic priorities, the two pending enterprise zone proposals are not likely to be enacted. The British enterprise zone program differs from most U.S. proposals, since its objective was the rehabilitation of old industrial sites. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have enacted enterprise zone legislation. Analyses of these zones have found local commitment essential to their viability. A review of the experiences of five states--Michigan, Virginia, Maryland, Indiana, and New Jersey--indicates that states are ill equipped to revitalize blighted areas alone. The employment and training of zone residents should be a prime consideration for implementing enterprise zone policies. The most effective strategy to empower the residents of blighted communities involves improving their physical surroundings as well as enabling them to acquire education and skills. (YLB)

The purpose of this paper is to provide information about the current status of available programs, research findings related to quality programs, and issues surrounding programs for 4-year-old children. The paper is intended as a resource for multiple audiences, including decision makers, legislators, regulatory administrators, advocates, parents, and all those whose tasks relate to programs for 4-year-olds. In addition, the paper is an initial attempt to study the major issues related to such programs. The research review briefly describes compensatory programs for disadvantaged children; cites conclusions of a comparison of four types of programs; describes some state and district-wide programs in Maryland, New York, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia; summarizes results of a national survey of educators' views about the expansion of early childhood education; and reports policy statements of the Educational Policies Commission and NAEYC regarding the expansion of programs. Existing programs for 4-year-olds in Maryland are described. The discussion of issues focuses on program quality, availability and accessibility, curriculum, training, parent role, regulations, the impact of early education on existing programs, and the dissemination and exchange of information among educators of 4-year-olds. Recommendations of the Maryland Committee for Children concerning program quality, availability and accessibility, and future research are provided along with citations of selected references. (RH)

The goals and aspirations of 35,950 students who had attended Maryland community colleges were surveyed 18 months after college entry. For first-time credit students who entered college during fall 1982, comparisons were made of two groups who returned usable responses to mailed questionnaires. The first group consisted of 5,133 students who were still enrolled in spring 1985 (currently enrolled or continuing) and the second group consisted of 6,360 students who were not currently enrolled (nonreturning). The statewide and campus followup of students used questionnaires and student records to provide information on: why students attend community colleges, program of study, how they evaluate colleges, credit hours earned at the college, grade point average, employment, student satisfaction, sex and race, year of birth, why some did not return, and how the colleges can help students accomplish individual goals. The typical respondent was white, female, and 29 years old and had enrolled in either transfer or occupational programs. It was found that nearly 67% of currently enrolled students wished to obtain either a college certificate or degree compared to 42% among nonreturning respondents. The nonreturning students gave conflict with job, educational goal achievement, and insufficient funds as the main reasons for not returning to college. (SW)

A recommendation is made by the presidents and chancellor of the four historically Black colleges and universities in Maryland that the goal of racial equality requiring the education of larger numbers of Blacks at all levels of higher education in a wide variety of fields--undergraduate, graduate, and professional--be kept at the forefront of the plans of the state. Statistics are cited to support the contention that proportionately more whites than Blacks have attended or completed college. A five-point approach to higher education in Maryland is urged: (1) A statewide plan for educational equality should be developed. (2) Predominately Black institutions should be viewed and treated in their proper role as positive features of the statewide system and as contributors to the racial equality goals of the state and the federal government. (3) Affirmative action programs should be strengthened in the predominately white institutions so they may make a greater contribution to equality at all levels. (4) The statewide plan should not only move vigorously to enhance the Black institutions and desegregate the predominately white institutions, but it should also encourage cooperative relationships among these historically Black and white institutions. (5) The predominately Black institutions are leaders in this endeavor and should be encouraged to help their white counterparts. (LBH)