States across the U.S. have been passing legislation aimed at identifying and supporting students who may have dyslexia. In Arizona, this legislation requires school districts to screen students for indicators of dyslexia, have one teacher in every K-3 school trained in dyslexia, and provide evidence-based reading instruction. However, it is…

Historically, U.S. school districts have led schooling, while state education agencies (SEAs) have held a largely regulatory role in school improvement. Yet, a recent reform strategy, the "state takeover," allows an SEA to assume direct governance of a low-performing district -- potentially creating a much more active role for state…

Presents examples of what state government initiatives can do to jump-start a school district's educational technology plans. Examines effective state initiatives from Florida, Louisiana, Arizona, and Pennsylvania. (GR)

Examines how states are handling aged, overcrowded, and obsolete school facilities. Includes interviews with the directors of facility programs in Arizona, Ohio, and West Virginia to see what works and what doesn't work in state-run programs that seek to strike a balance between state money and local control. (GR)

Discusses the Arizona statewide mandate to spend $500 million to repair or replace roofs in its public school system. Data from the state's evaluation process are provided, including how the state will fund the project. (GR)

In recent years, open enrollment and school choice have been major issues in the debate over educational reform. Arizona is considering what role school choice should play in its efforts to improve education. Current state law allows school districts to enroll students from another district "upon terms such as it prescribes," but does…

Describes how the Arizona Department of Education's rush to implement the AIMS (Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards) high school graduation exam provoked justifiable protest from parents, students, school officials, and education experts in the state. Argues that, if critics and advocates are unable to work together, it will be Arizona's…

In April 2004, teams of policymakers and practitioners from eight Western states joined Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano and the National Governors Association (NGA) at "Leadership for Turning Around Low-Performing Schools: A Western Regional Roundtable," a two-day meeting that explored the connection between educational leadership and…

In 1993, Project FORUM issued a report (Ahearn, 1993) that provided information on resources available to states and districts in accessing Medicaid reimbursements for services for students with disabilities, a relatively new source of funding at that time. It is now over 10 years since Medicaid funds were approved for use for special education…

For five years running, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has tracked states' teacher policies, preparing a detailed and thorough compendium of teacher policy in the United States on topics related to teacher preparation, licensure, evaluation, career advancement, tenure, compensation, pensions and dismissal. The "2011 State…

This report contains recommendations made by the Arizona Committee on Decentralization, who identified issues in the implementation of decentralization in Arizona's public schools. The report presents an overview of the definition and purposes of decentralization and findings of a survey of 4,100 Arizona public school teachers and principals…

The purpose of this paper is to provide a foundation for the planned discussion of how the funding of Arizona community colleges might be improved to enable the colleges to better serve the needs of their communities and address the priorities of the State. This paper considers three of the most common funding sources: (1) state appropriations;…

As sponsoring agents for Arizona charter schools, individual school boards in Arizona are committed to ensuring that all applicants have a fair and equal opportunity to submit a proper charter proposal. This handbook provides information and materials to help charter-school applicants in Arizona prepare a proposal for establishing a charter…

Pursuant to a request from the Arizona State Board of Education, an interagency task force was formed in fall 1989 to examine the issue of values instruction in Arizona schools. This document begins with a summary of the resulting report, along with a list of suggested common core values, recommendations for development and implementation of a…

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) is seeking better ways to deliver appropriate services to small districts, since many ADE services tend to be of most benefit to larger districts. Small school districts in Arizona often have great distances between schools, personnel filling multiple roles, special budgetary constraints, limited range of…