The experience of Maryland in implementing large scale assessment in the context of school reform is explored. The ways in which the state Department of Education has worked with divergent groups to build a continuing and strong school reform program are discussed. In 1987 Maryland's governor created a Commission on School Performance. This was…

This discussion begins with the five major political values that were reflected in the 1973 reform of the Illinois school aid system. The lawmakers wanted to spend state dollars for education in a way that would improve student and taxpayer equity, maintain local control of school districts, aid poverty-impacted districts, not discriminate against…

This article reviews development and use of a statewide (Texas) space model for long-term planning, regulating new construction, and formula appropriations for general academic and, more recently, health-related institutions. Considers the work and recommendation of a 1998 study committee on space needs of health facilities, the Commissioner's…

Some states use subsidies, grants, and other public monies to rejuvenate lagging rural economies, but without sound economic analysis to guide these efforts money may go to projects that do not achieve economic development goals. Minnesota's Iron Range programs illustrate what happens when economic analysis is sacrificed in political tugs-of-war.…

This brief updates an overview of welfare benefits and services in Texas in 1997, when House Bill 1863 and the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 first went into effect. Since 1997, Texas and 12 other states from the Assessing the New Federalism study have implemented many changes in social safety net…

This brief examines changes in Florida's welfare-to-work, child care, and child welfare systems since 1997, presenting information from visits conducted in 1999 and 2000. It profiles Florida's population, economy, and politics, reviewing its income support and social services safety net. Three sections detail current policies and recent changes in…

This brief summarizes information collected during visits to Massachusetts in 1999 and 2000 to document changes and progress since 1997, updating a 1997 report on the state's benefits and services and the economic and political context shaping Massachusetts' agenda for serving low-income families. It profiles Massachusetts' economy and population,…

This brief examines changes in Washington's welfare-to-work, child care, and child welfare systems since 1997, presenting information from visits to Washington in 1999 and 2000. It profiles Washington's demographic, economic, and political conditions, reviewing its income support and social services systems and highlighting recent changes,…

This paper presents a review of theory and research dealing with alternative teacher certification policy. It begins by examining the context for alternative teacher certification through the lens of Human Capital Theory. It defines alternative certification and describes the history and present status of alternative certification policies. The…

The Associates Program of the Institute for Educational Leadership is a network of educational policy-makers in over 30 states. Each state's Associate conducts several seminars each year for the benefit of the state's key policy-makers. In 1977 these Associates (then numbering 23) and the participants in their seminars responded to questionnaires…

This brief summarizes information collected during visits to Hennepin County (Minnesota's largest urban county) in 1999 and 2000 to document changes and progress since 1997. It updates a 1997 report that reviewed the benefits and services in the state and described the economic and political context shaping Minnesota's agenda for serving…

Presents observations and lessons drawn from two years of Kentucky school reform. Implementing the Kentucky School Reform Act of 1990 teaches that reforming schools also requires addressing the ways in which communities raise their children. Community work, with parent and student participation, improves family conditions and political decision…

The goals and guiding principles of the Maryland State Library Network are defined by the State Library Network Planning and Resource Sharing Task Force. The following goals are asserted: (1) state residents will have improved access to the state's information resources through the work of a State Library Network Coordinating Council; (2)…

Arizona's career ladder teacher incentive program was established by the Arizona State Legislature in 1984 as a component of school restructuring efforts. A comprehensive and long-range developmental evaluation system is being developed for the restructuring program, but the program is at risk of being eliminated due to the negative influence of…

Examines Zimbabwe's 1980-87 teacher education reform designed to change its educational system. The paper appraises dilemmas encountered by the Ministries of Education and teachers' colleges responsible for implementation, noting that struggles in Zimbabwe's political economy are dialectically related to contestations in the teacher education…