Presents a computerized programmatic feasibility model for estimating revenues and expenditures of Minnesota school districts to determine whether a district or combination of districts could offer state-mandated instructional and support services on a continuing basis. Discusses four pilot applications relating to reorganization decisions. (SV)

In 1983 the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 813, which appropriated an additional one billion dollars yearly for each of 4 years to the schools. Most of the additional money was distributed through the state's general aid formula. However, a portion of the money was offered through eight other new programs designed to encourage specific…

Political efforts to desegregate schools fail when political opposition interacts with an institutional structure that ambiguously divides educational authority. Both factors explain failure of Yonkers, New York, to desegregate its schools during the 1960s and 1970s. This article cautions against abandoning school desegregation efforts and demands…

During the spring of 1980, Texas tested all of its ninth graders for the first time as part of a legislatively-mandated competency program. This forced all Texas districts which already had established programs to decide whether to drop, modify, or retain them. The political, economic, and practical information which was important within the…

Examines teacher reactions to an Oregon law designed to restructure public education around Certificates of Initial and Advanced Mastery. Over 2,000 educators in 92 schools completed surveys. Responses showed cautious support for reform ideas, tempered with skepticisms concerning implementation. Rural teachers were more critical of the plan. (50…

To obtain a better understanding of evaluation utilization in school-level decision making, principals, special program coordinators, and resource teachers in 22 elementary schools in a large urban school district were interviewed. Some of the more prominent elements in the evaluation process that constrain or encourage evaluation utilization were…

The general goals of the study were: (1) to obtain the decision maker's perspectives on evaluation, how he defines it, how he carries it out; (2) to better understand the role of evaluation in site level decision making; and (3) to identify important characteristics of evaluation and of the school setting that affect the level of evaluation…

The Basic Skills Assessment Act (631) is a law passed by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1978 which established the Basic Skills Assessment Program. This law requires the establishment of statewide educational objectives for reading, writing, and mathematics for each grade level, kindergarten through grade 12. The law also requires that a…

Forty-four representatives of American Indian tribes and the state of Arizona participated in the 2-day conference on reservation school districts. Terrance Leonard explained the legislative history and workings of Johnson-O'Malley funding, described supplementary Johnson-O'Malley programs, and commented on the Indian Education Act. Dr. Kenneth…

This report provides a summary and evaluation of Colorado's local and state program activities during 1988 under Chapter 2 of the U.S. Education and Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981. Teacher training, inservice activities, and local improvement programs received the highest allocations of available Chapter 2 funds. Colorado's local school…

To understand Belgian educational policy, one must consider Belgium's ongoing transition to a federal state. Belgium has been a polarized society, divided into Catholic organizations defending religious schools and Socialist and Liberal organizations promoting neutral education. Since assuming responsibility for educational policy in 1989, each…

This paper presents the State of New Jersey Board of Education's evaluation of the Operation School Renewal (OSR) Program, a multi-year assistance program involving the urban school districts of Trenton, East Orange, and Neptune Township (New Jersey). Goals included the following: (1) attendance improvement; (2) reduction of disruptive pupil…

Outlines one approach for assessing and measuring the differences in the costs of education services and reports the results of an application of this approach to data for the state of California. (Author/IRT)

The Irish education system is a privatized, state-funded patchwork, with five separate types of secondary schools whose governance structures vary according to church, state, or local authority ownership. A 1995 government white paper recommends a more coherent governance structure with state, regional, and school-site decision-making levels.…

Reports on popular election results concerning the relationship between the variables of county board member defeat or reelection and county school superintendent reappointment or dismissal in North Carolina. Results show stability in both superintendent reappointment and incumbent board member reelection and do not support prior dissatisfaction…