K-12 education resources are often allocated non-strategically, with schools spending time and money on activities that have little relationship to student outcomes. Most of these decisions take place within districts, rooted in the processes of setting schedules, staffing levels, and assignments, and creating final budgets. Local Education…

Policymakers know that improving teaching in our schools requires a systemic look at many policies related to educator effectiveness. For example, teacher preparation programs need to be dramatically improved and strengthened, but without accompanying reform in compensation, even highly effective and innovative schools of education are unlikely to…

When the budget-cutting ended this year in one rural North Texas school district, the people-moving began. Forced to chop its total staff to 55 employees from 64, the Perrin-Whitt Consolidated Independent school system went the route of many districts across the country: It made the majority of its reductions by encouraging early retirements and…

A few years ago, in "Student Success in College (SSiC)," the authors profiled twenty colleges and universities that were unusually effective in fostering student engagement and success, defined as better-than-predicted scores on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and better-than-predicted graduation rates. These schools are…

In the summer of 1969, the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory undertook the implementation of a Mobile Migrant Project to serve a designated group of preschool migrant children. The project was to consist of (1) a summer program in 1969 in at least 2 "in trek" locations, (2) integration in the 1969-70 school year with the…

The handbook discusses administrative strategies found successful in fostering the integration of mildly handicapped students in five states' school systems (California, Kansas, Massachusets, Minnesota, and Texas). In "Administrative Systems for Service Delivery," T. Oliver describes approaches to streamline referral to placement…

Career education projects in the Texas school districts of Fort Worth, Harlandale, and Houston, conducted from January 4, 1972 through July 3, 1973 are summarized in this document. Project similarities and differences in the three districts are presented at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, with career guidance emphasized in all…

This document contains 21 addresses, case studies, and other conference presentations, most of them by representatives of the state departments of education and state universities in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado, Arkansas, and Texas: "Measuring Educational Progress"; "Teacher Aides--Who Needs 'Em?"; "Training of…

This policy brief presents findings from Southwest Educational Development Laboratory research on resource allocation in 1,504 independent school districts in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas. Using 5 years' data from the federal Common Core of Data and the Census Bureau along with 3 years of student performance data from each state…

To explore the perceptions of special education administrators regarding the anticipated effects of restricted funding, survey questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of 200 directors of special education in Texas. Questions regarding demographics, funding sources, staff and program concerns, and assistance needed for coping were asked.…

Three articles describe the lifestyle of the children of migrant agricultural workers. First, Jose A. Cardenas provides an overview of education for migrant children. He notes academic performance deviations and underachievement resulting from their educational programs. Cardenas describes poor staffing, frequent segregation, curricula…

A project was undertaken to (1) develop a model for regional planning of vocational education based on service center regions in Texas; (2) establish an effective communications system for providers of occupational education in the state; (3) provide a process for the inservice training of participants in regional vocational planning; and (4)…

Costs associated with colleges and universities are addressed in this two-part report. Part one, a 20-page overview, Snyder's "Recent Trends in Higher Education Finance, 1976-77 to 1985-86," reviews rising national trends in tuition, enrollment, degrees, expenditures, and expenditure per student. A wide diversity is noted among…

This guide is designed to serve as (1) instructional materials for training those assigned to provide technical assistance in the regional planning and articulation of vocational education and (2) a resource to familiarize and train the recipients of the planning processes. Addressed in the individual chapters of the manual are the following…

This volume consists of information and guidelines for use in developing and administering community education programs in Texas. Addressed in the individual sections of the manual are the following topics: the philosophy of community education, initiating community education programs, resolutions pertaining to community education, funding and…