This technical report is the second edition of "Conditions of Education in California," and contains 53 figures and tables of data that range from student test performances to state revenue projections. Following a summary of state education highlights, the section "The Evolving Context of California Education" presents past,…

After being placed on the back burner during the 1980s, school finance is again a major issue. In the 1970s, reliance on property taxes created school district disparities because of unequal tax bases. Legislative reforms enacted between 1971 and 1985 had the following characteristics: school finance formulas were revamped; the state role in…

Curricular changes among 20 public comprehensive high schools in California from 1982-83 to 1984-85 were analyzed. This report focuses primarily on changes in advanced placement courses in sample schools; it is accompanied by a discussion of policy implications and tables of demographic and course section data. The researchers discovered a…

A 5-year qualitative study of implementation of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) analyzes the effects on four rural school districts of large-scale changes in state policy. This annual report of the project focuses on five key KERA "strands." First, KERA mandates that grades K-3 be replaced with an ungraded primary program…

The Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) of 1981 is intended to provide opportunities for states and local governments to have more control of their educational programs and to deregulate the administration of federal programs. Introduced at a time when state funding and revenue systems are in flux and severely depleted, it presents…