Civic education is once again at the center of education policy debates. Over the past five years, policy reform has been enacted in 46 states and, with some exceptions, has consisted of states embracing two initiatives: the College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies (C3) and the Civic Education Initiative (CEI). Both initiatives…

Background: Federal law requires most school districts to develop school wellness policies (SWPs), which state agencies assist in by providing templates. Templates provide standard language, which districts may edit for numerous reasons. We aimed to identify the frequency/consistency of template usage and identify the types of edits districts make…

In this study, we examine how the standardizing effects of federal and state education policies in the United States reflect particular ways of understanding the structure and function of education and schooling. This understanding impacts how policies affect schools and those who work and depend upon them. We argue that the disparity between how…

After more than a decade of dedicated investment, state funding to assist local California school districts in the construction, modernization, and maintenance of their school facilities has come to a halt. As the Governor, the legislature, and other stakeholders debate the future of the state's K-12 school facility funding role, a big unknown…

After decades of dedicated investment, state funding to assist local California school districts in the construction, modernization, and maintenance of their school facilities has come to a halt. As the Governor, the legislature, and other stakeholders debate the future of the state's K-12 school facility funding role, a big unknown exists:…

Online learning and our current system of local education governance are at odds with one another, to say the least. In this paper, John Chubb examines how local school district control retards the widespread use of instructional technologies. He argues that the surest way to break down the system's inherent resistance to technology is to shift…

The authors suggests that educational change, like all societal change, takes place as a result of policies interacting with the environment. He explains why some environments are more receptive to change than others. (Editor)

This report synthesizes two research projects initiated by the Illinois State Board of Education on the development of a definition of schooling and on the analysis of mandates implemented by the state for special education, bilingual education, and instructional programs in elementary and secondary schools. The report is presented in five…

The effects of state policy on school restructuring efforts are examined in this report. Three main sections present a review of restructuring concepts, a process to determine state policy effects on school restructuring, and application of this process to applied learning in six states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and…

Summarizes the research on school effectiveness and identifies state policy implications followed by a discussion of current state education policies and their relationship to school effectiveness research. (MLF)

Local school districts do not figure prominently in contemporary school reform efforts centered at state and school levels. This article examines how two school districts responded to an expanding state role in instructional policy making. Case studies underline districts' key reform role and suggest that state and local instructional policies are…

Analyzes the full-service schools movement and policy development process, focusing on examples of the new state policies as scattered, vulnerable, and promising new developments. Analyzes the Kentucky and New Jersey movements in terms of the strength of state role. The movement needs time to mature before being stringently evaluated. (Contains 28…

The authors report on major trends and emerging issues in state education policy-making. Two parts cover, first, the history, status, and future of educational governance and, second, the alternatives open to state leaders in structuring and using education commissions. In accounting for trends in educational governance, the authors consider such…

To understand state-local ties involved in state education politics, policy effects and linking mechanisms in the reform-minded Public School Approval mandate in Vermont were studied using semistructured interviews. Results showed minimal involvement from board members, superintendents, principals, and teachers regarding policy formation. All…

In order to insure a measure of consistency in the area of personnel relations, while retaining the flexibility necessary to meet local needs, the Oregon Board of Education has published this list of guidelines for personnel policy formulation in the Oregon community colleges. Based on statutory authority, the guidebook outlines required personnel…