A charter school is an autonomous entity that operates on the basis of a charter or contract between the individual or group (teachers, parents, and others) that organizes the school and its sponsor (local school board, county, or state board). Once granted a charter, the school receives educational formula-driven funding as though it were a…

One of the major deficiencies of the recent educational reports calling for educational reform is the failure to suggest ways of using the federal role to meet the national interest. Seven dimensions of national social, economic, and political commitment that are linked to education are: (1) expansion of equality of opportunities for the…

This summary report is one of a series addressing major policy, management, or program issues facing Congress and the administration. The issues identified in this report indicate the need to: reduce the cost and preserve the integrity of higher education student loan and grant programs; enhance the federal role in monitoring lenders, agencies,…

This publication reviews a public-engagement program entitled "Calling the Roll: Study Circles for Better Schools." The program, which was implemented with help from the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, called for policymakers to interact with the public in study circles in Arkansas and Oklahoma. The report relates what the…

The relationship between higher education and governors and state government is explored in eight articles. Brief introductions are provided by Samuel K. Gove of the University of Illinois and Governor Lamar Alexander, who served as a National Governors' Association chairman. An overview of the 1985 Wingspread Conference, which focused on the…

Over 100 former board of education members from Oregon completed a questionnaire originally prepared by the "American School Board Journal" for the purpose of investigating why school board members leave their positions. This document presents the full results of the Oregon survey and also provides a summary of the findings and an…

This issue of "Service-Learning Network" looks at the ways that service learning can transform local government into a learning laboratory for civic education. The first article, "Creating the Missing Link: Local Government, Service Learning, and Civic Education" (Todd Clark), introduces the issue. "Service Learning and Local Government" (Ann…

Since the 1960s, schools have relied on federal and state programs to provide the extra resources and services needed to help certain categories of disadvantaged students catch up with their classmates. While many credit these categorical programs with expanding educational opportunities, increasing numbers question the effectiveness of this ad…

In our modern industrial society, kindergartens are an indispensable, independent educational facility for children. Priority is given to the all-round, comprehensive promotion of children's natural resources rather than to subject-tied programs. German educator Friedrich Frobel (1782-1852) developed the concept of kindergarten, attaching great…

Efforts to achieve greater decentralization, deregulation, and management by objectives in the public sector have left an indelible mark on the school sector in Sweden during the 1980s. The experimental scheme of local agencies and free municipalities illustrates two such reforms. Under the free municipality experiment, a number of municipalities…

A summary is presented of a 1982 limited distribution report, published by the Communication Network of the State Higher Education Executive Officers and the National Center for Education Statistics, which presents findings of a survey conducted by the Washington Council for Postsecondary Education. The survey focused on the fiscal situation in…

In Iowa the number of handicapped school students is increasing even as total enrollments decline, probably because slow learners are being reclassified as "mildly handicapped" to make them eligible for special education funds and programs. As a result there may soon be more handicapped students than the state can afford. To avoid this,…

The macroeconomic trends shaping the United States economy and the effects of those trends on higher education are considered. Warning institutions of higher education about possible problems in the economy will place them in a better position to react if necessary. The economic environment is discussed in terms of productivity (goods and services…

This publication offers a brief review of religion and school issues that emerged in U.S. courts in 1999. Included are prayer in public schools; teacher's free exercise rights limited by establishment clause; impermissible student lessons and activities; teaching of evolution/creation science; volunteer clergy counselors in the schools; aid to…

The drastic actions that have been taken in the District of Columbia public schools offer many lessons for those interested in urban school reform. In November 1996, the District of Columbia's federally appointed financial control board took over the school system, firing the superintendent and replacing the elected school board with an appointed…