This document contains reports on legislative action affecting higher education in the southern states that held regular or special legislative sessions in 1975. States covered are: West Virginia, Georgia, Virginia, Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama. Some of the…

Presented are 37 position papers and two addresses given at the national conference of the National Advisory Council on Services and Facilities for the Developmentally Disabled in November, 1972. Cited are conference objectives to encourage understanding and effective implementation of the Developmental Disabilities Act of 1970, provide technical…

An attempt has been made to provide a detailed compilation of historical data related to the Iowa State Plan written for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The Iowa Plan was unique and controversial in that it established a system of sixteen regional media centers which received all federal monies for library materials. The 99…

State legislative action to control and reward teaching quality has resulted in the coming of age of systematic teacher performance evaluation for certification, merit pay, or career ladder advancement decisions. This article overviews issues of credibility and practicality--including test design, validity, and reliability--which arise when…

Does a "school choice" program, under which state funds are disbursed on a neutral basis to parents in the form of a voucher to defray the cost of sending their children to a school of their choice, run afoul of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, or of the New Hampshire Constitution? No. A…

Examines, in detail, the recent events in New York that led to improvements in early childhood (child care and Head Start) teacher compensation. (BB)

The California Mentor Teacher Program is unique among statewide mentor teacher initiatives in its size, longevity, stipends for mentor teachers, and the discretion it allows local education agencies. The shared perspectives of a mentor, a local administrator, and a state administrator trace the legislative and policy history of this program. (SLD)

This volume provides the background of the Kentucky Education Reform Act and discusses the assessment and evaluation principles on which it is based. It reviews early steps in implementation of the Act's mandates, but was written before most of the battles of implementation had begun. (SLD)

Provides an overview of the Wisconsin child support system. Explores policy and program implications of the child support revision process and makes recommendations for improving revision. Advocates expressing child support orders as a percentage of the noncustodial parents' income to keep the orders updated automatically and replace the need for…

This document provides a summary of school-reform actions taken by each of the 50 states and Puerto Rico as of February 12, 1996. Reform refers to four broad categories--school choice, services that are contracted out to private entities, deregulation or decentralization (for example, charter schools), and accountability through strong academic…

This report examines the origins, development, content, and implementation of state-level policies that were designed to establish or strengthen educational accountability and effectiveness in the 15 states that are members of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). It provides state-by-state profiles of legislation and policies, explaining…

This report examines the origins, development, content, and implementation of state-level policies that were designed to establish or strengthen educational accountability and effectiveness in the 15 states that are members of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). It provides tables outlining the context and content of such initiatives in…

This booklet presents the Texas State Library Systems Act and some supporting documents to help in the operation of a library under the Texas system. The State Library Systems Act establishes and defines the state library system, allowing for its operation and management and defining the member libraries. Information on state grants is provided,…

Noting that fundamental reform of child support policy that builds on state and local innovations is essential, this report provides recommendations for state policymakers and advocates to address deficiencies in child support enforcement. The recommendations are in the areas of resources, paternity, and outreach. They include: (1) establishing…

This report presents an analysis to determine whether the availability of vocational-technical education in Minnesota meets the intent of the Perkins Act and the needs of Minnesotans. Chapter 1 analyzes both federal and state funding for postsecondary vocational-technical education for fiscal years 1986-92. It describes both Perkins Acts, the…