Language assessment and proficiency tools are often the best gauges of language acquisition. There are a variety of tools that language projects can use, such as the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages or ACTFL. Choosing the right assessment tools and providing staff training and support in their use can be difficult. Ku Kahakalau is the Project Director of the Institute for Native Pacific Education & Culture or INPEACE’s Administration for Native Americans (ANA) Funded Project located in Kapolei, Hawaii. The webinar was presented by ANA's Alaska Region Training and Technical Assistance Center on the Indigenous Language Proficiency Scale and other language assessment tools.

In this compendium, the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) details their language projects organized by state from 2010-2012 as a way to demonstrate the breadth and diversity of language activities funded under ANA’s Native Languages program area.

This report from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation describes the implementation of the Tribal Home Visiting Program, which utilizes an evidence-based, two-generation approach. The report includes information about the technical assistance provided to support grantees, recommendations for legislative or administrative action to improve services, and more aspects of the program.

In the United States, there are 1.2 million American Indian and Alaska Native individuals under age 25. This website from the National Congress of American Indians highlights their year-round, ongoing programs for Native Youth.

This brief from Health Affairs discusses opportunities through Medicaid to address supportive housing needs. In addition, the brief highlights other tools provided by the Affordable Care Act that can support individuals with disabilities living in community settings.

This report documents the implementation infrastructure of Personal Responsibility Education Program evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs in four states--California, Maine, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. Analysis of the programs implementation infrastructure showed that the four states differed in size; the role grantees took in supporting implementation, resources, and the settings in which the program operated. Despite that, states had similarities in how they:

• worked with providers before and in the early stages of implementation;
• formed a pool of qualified trainers to train program facilitators and provide ongoing technical assistance;
• went beyond federal performance measures requirements; and
• established communication and feedback loops to facilitate data gathering, data sharing, and identification of lessons learned. (author abstract)

The Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative (CPI) uses TANF funds to provide support services to over 30,000 qualifying students enrolled in occupational programs at Arkansas community and technical colleges. This issue brief from the National Skills Coalition highlights key elements of the successful model, as well as challenges that may impact these types of career pathways programs.

Ramsey County, Minnesota’s welfare counselors draft long-term employment plans for their clients. Instead of pushing clients into getting the first available job, they create plans that are broken down into manageable steps. This article from Governing Magazine highlights this innovative approach and its benefits.

This five-minute video from the Urban Institute briefly discusses important facts related to child poverty. For instance, poverty affects children of all races, but in terms of persistent poverty, the racial gap is more apparent. The video concludes by providing strategies to break the cycle of poverty among children.

With a total of 2.2 million incarcerated people in the United States, a collateral cost seems to be low levels of educational attainment. Among state prisoners, the average level of education is 10.4 years of schooling; similarly, over two-thirds of this population lack a high school diploma. This report from CLASP presents suggestions to improve training during and after incarceration that aim to increase educational and employment opportunities of reentering citizens.