The first charter school law surfaced in Minnesota in 1991, and since then, 42 additional states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have passed laws governing charter schools. Yet still today, the details within those state laws vary significantly, and seven states do not have a law at all. Legislation permitting charter schools was…

Parental demand for charter schools is at an all-time high. The goal of a high-performing charter school policy is to increase access to the best charter schools by identifying schools with a demonstrated record of improving student learning and giving those schools the opportunity to grow. This policy overview document introduces charter schools,…

This report represents the latest State Governance Action Report (SGAR) covering current or just recently completed legislative sessions. Among the most important issues being considered are management autonomy, such as relaxed rules for purchasing, procurement, and human resources, and greater fiscal autonomy measures such as carry-over budgeting…

Discusses the actions of state legislatures nationwide that have implications for community colleges. Points up and analyzes three major legislative themes: increased state control, reduced appropriations, and the uncertain identity of community colleges within the law. Looks at minor legislative changes and three areas of concern for the coming…

Discusses issues implicit in changes in community college fiscal support, such as alternate funding sources and patterns, the effects of legislative policy, and the responses of administrators to the changes.

Today, policymakers with an interest in school success no longer debate why states should provide pre-kindergarten; that case has been made successfully to voters, educators, and researchers. Instead, policymakers now wrestle with how to get the job done. Increasingly, they turn to what those in the pre-k field call "diverse" or…

This monograph is concerned with the issues and problems raised by recent trends in state legislative activity related to community and junior colleges and in patterns of funding these institutions. The first of two parts discusses legislation directly or indirectly affecting policies for financing postsecondary education in general and community…