If district technology leaders had a nickel for every time they heard the phrase "the new normal," they'd have all the money they need to run their IT departments. In an effort to help readers think about their budgets in creative and practical ways, "T.H.E. Journal" and the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) recently convened a panel of CTOs…

Situated in the heart of the fertile San Joaquin Valley twenty miles north of Fresno, the city of Madera has a population of 56,710 people. Agriculture is the driving force behind the local economy; the area produces more than 100 crops including raisin grapes, almonds, figs, pistachios, alfalfa, corn, milk, cattle and poultry. The total value of…

When the five-member Board of the Alameda Unified School District selected Kirsten Vital as the new superintendent in 2009, they chose someone from outside their tight-knit community. Board Trustee Margie Sherratt thought Vital was chosen to "get us moving," to be a change agent on closing the achievement gap. Vital, in her initial…

Describes Iowa Valley Community College District's Contribution Margin Budgeting (CMB) program, successfully implemented to stave off bankruptcy. In this program, each responsibility center receives credit for all income generated and is charged for all expenditures, and each must build its own reserve against revenue shortfalls and unanticipated…

Although Pennsylvania has long made programming for all handicapped children mandatory, the passage of P.L. 94-142 has necessitated some changes even in this state. The major hurdle in the implementation of such a law is confusion and misinterpretation. Educators fear that the handicapped may be dumped into regular classes in an arbitrary manner.…

Describes educational reform efforts in Spain since 1970, when a new General Law for Education was adopted. The reform process now suffers from delays in developing new courses and teaching cycles. The country's economic crisis is creating a decline in funding for new programs, while the education ministry insists on working to improve teaching…

Appointed in 1978, the New York State Special Task Force on Equity and Excellence in Education was charged with improving educational equity in the state. This volume of the report first presents seven alternative school finance plans developed by the task force to demonstrate how its recommendations could be implemented. The report notes each…

Colorado Springs (Colorado) School District 11 was the first to offer advertising opportunities via its school buses. This action was taken after new investment policies, self-insurance, contracting out, and salary freezes proved inadequate to offset voters' reluctance to increase taxes. Opposition was limited, due to strong community support and…

Describes a new program entitled Faith in the City created to strengthen and enhance every aspect of Catholic elementary education in Washington's center city, and to find ways to help the schools grow by working together. (YKH)

This Transfer Enhancement Plan was prepared by the Transfer Task Force from the City College of San Francisco (CCSF). The purpose of the plan is to improve the transfer success of all CCSF students. This report reviews current transfer structure, efforts, activities, and programs, and identifies successful transfer efforts that should be supported…

A conference dealing with new enterprise and economic development initiatives today, Project NEED IT was designed to familiarize decision makers at all levels of the public, private, and educational sectors with the best new enterprise development projects being carried out in the United States today. During the conference, a series of papers and…