This report presents findings on the numbers and types of public elementary and secondary local education agencies (LEAs) in the United States and other jurisdictions in the 2008-09 school year, using data from the Local Education Agency Universe Survey of the Common Core of Data (CCD) survey system. The CCD is an annual collection of data that…

Michigan's intermediate school districts were created by constitutional convention in 1962. Between their inception and 2000, few units of government were less visible and less understood. This article chronicles the emergence of one intermediate school district as an aggressive force for change in education and a locus of activity for community…

To date, the field has had difficulty coming to a consensus about any individual program that can successfully provide a full continuum of supports across settings to produce sustainable outcomes across time for all types of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Dawson & Osterling, 1997; National Research Council [NRC], 2001; Odom et al.,…

The emotional and behavioural problems experienced by pupils continue to be a key concern for educationalists. In this article, Peter Lloyd Bennett, an educational psychologist, reports on his research into the views of staff about this important area of work. Questionnaires on meeting the needs of pupils with emotional and behavioural…

Teaching students who receive special education services in integrated settings requires intensive staff development and on-going training. Region 16 Education Service Center in the Texas panhandle serves 65 rural school districts covering 25,000 square miles and 80,000 students. In 1996, with direction and funding from the state legislature,…

This book examines the role of the educational service agency (ESA) in the process of enabling and facilitating rural school improvement. The introductory chapter discusses the continuing significance of rural education, service to rural districts as an explicit reason for establishing ESAs, and the characteristics of several types of ESAs.…

To deliver training and continuing education for education personnel in a large rural state, Montana has decentralized its Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) by forming five regional councils. The Montana Center on Disabilities developed a statewide training program for using paraeducators as liaisons to communities to enhance…

Opportunities abound for educational service agencies (ESAs) to assist rural schools districts with implementing the No Child Left Behind Act. Strategies that ESAs could pursue are presented for critical issues in the areas of school-community relationships, school roles in rural development, funding, standard setting, school size, facility…

Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) provide cost-effective shared services to New York's rural districts. Services in career and technical education and staff development offered by the Steuben-Allegany BOCES are described. Future plans include increased cooperation with colleges in providing adult education, evolution of the…

Describes services of the New Media Information Center to media specialists in Oakland Schools, the intermediate school district (ISD) for Oakland County (Michigan). Highlights include database training videos; online database tutorials; full-text periodical articles; district database sheets; face-to-face workshops for media specialists and…

Youth services programs funded by the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998 provide educational services, mentoring, work experience, job training, and support services to help youth meet educational or employment goals. This first-year evaluation of West Virginia's RESA I Workforce Investment Youth Services Program interviewed 7 staff members…

Thanks to the economies of scale inherent in networks of education services agencies (ESAs), these agencies can provide small rural schools with access to programs, services, and technical assistance that otherwise might be unavailable. Typical core services of ESAs, historic roots, evaluation of ESAs in Iowa and Texas, and trends in ESA funding…

An adversary relationship seems to exist in states where no formal structure has been set up to relate to multidistrict agencies. (Author/IRT)

The Educational Center of the Arts in New Haven, formerly a synagogue, serves approximately 125 students in the area identified as having a potential for visual or performing arts. (Author/MLF)

Describes the objectives of the RISE legislation, specifically, to reform a school system which must keep up with a society whose technological and social changes are occurring at an increasing rate. (Author/RK)