The early phases of teachers' professional careers are multi-layered and informed by many factors, including teachers' values, their own experiences in schools, and the nested contexts of their professional employment. While in teachers' everyday lives government policies sometimes operate beneath the surface rather than overtly, these policies…

The combination of two technological tools, Microsoft Excel and ArcGIS, has proved powerful in organizing, categorizing, and expressing data visually in meaningful ways. The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has found its way into historical research due to its interdisciplinary nature and usefulness. The goal of this paper is not to…

This article details the work of Cathy Hartman of the University of North Texas Libraries. After 15 years alone in her studio, working as an artist, Cathy Hartman wanted to get out into the world. Career testing suggested librarianship (also military officer because of her penchant for taking charge). Her strong belief that citizens had a right to…

This report has been prepared in order to assist those interested in learning more about the Texas State Publications Clearinghouse, to allow the staff to review the program's strengths and weaknesses, and to reassess goals and objectives for the future. In order to facilitate a clear understanding of how the program evolved, Section One presents…

This report contains 14 chapters on the following topics, as required by Texas Education Code 39.182 and 39.185: (1) State performance on the academic excellence indicators; (2) student performance on state assessments and correlation of course grades with state assessments; (3) students in alternative education settings; (4) performance of…

Presents the results of a survey of 59 depositories in Texas to determine the methods used for training staff members to use federal government CD-ROMs. The most common method of formal training was a workshop or conference; informal training methods were most commonly self-instruction and one-on-one instruction. Eight tables depict results; the…

This monograph presents phase two of a project initiated in January 1977 to examine the treatment of state documents in the 51 official state depository libraries in Texas. Each depository was sent a detailed 73 items questionnaire investigating that library's handling of state documents in the following areas: document acquisition, program…

Texas has moved from an education system that prescribes procedures to one that emphasizes student achievement. The plan described here provides a framework that educators and policymakers can use to coordinate federal, state, regional, and local education plans and initiatives in Texas. The plan includes the following goals: Students in the…

This report was prepared by the Texas Education Agency in response to Section 39.183 of the Texas Education Code. In a phase-in approach written into law, the limit of 22 students to 1 teacher applied in the 1985-86 school year through the 1987-88 school year to kindergarten through grade 2 only. The law extended this limitation to kindergarten…

This report was prepared by the Texas Education Agency in response to Section 39.183 of the Texas Education Code. It consists of five sections. Section 1, "Class Size Limitations," is a summary of school-district compliance with the class-size limitations prescribed by Section 25.112, including the number of districts granted an…

School restructuring reforms have placed an increased emphasis on student outcomes as the primary qualitative measure of education systems. The Texas public school accountability system focuses attention on performance measured by standardized test scores (the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills test), dropout rates, and attendance rates and…

This comprehensive report on Texas schools indicates that more than 80 percent of students pass the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TASS) test, and students continue to show impressive gains on math and reading tests. Chapter 1, "Student Performance," provides data on student performance on the Spring 2000 Texas Assessment of…