This collection of tables contains information about educational trends in the member cities of the Council of the Great City Schools. The enrollment of the Great City Schools (GCS) increased from 5.8 million students in 1987-1988 to 6.6 million in 1997-1998, an increase of 13.4%. The GCS enrolled 14.3% of U.S. public school students in 1997-1998.…

This report is intended to help policymakers understand the benefits of class-size reduction (CSR). It assesses the costs of CSR, considers some research-based alternatives, and explores strategies that will help educators realize the benefits of CSR when it is implemented. It examines how CSR enhances student achievement, such as when the…

This theme issue provides a synopsis of the step-by-step recommendations generated by participants at a conference on the implementation of class size reduction. It also contains summaries of the commissioned papers on research and practical knowledge about class size reduction. Recommendations focused on the major topic areas of improving…

This report addresses some of the concerns surrounding smaller classes and looks at whether reduced class sizes result in higher achievement levels, and concludes that it in fact does increase student achievement, so long as classes do not exceed 17 students. But many critics question whether the high cost of reducing classes to 17 or fewer…

Wisconsin's Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program demonstrates that small class sizes have unclear achievement benefits and that improvements remain isolated in small populations. SAGE grants $2,000 per low income student to elementary schools agreeing to class sizes of 15 students, extended hours, a rigorous curriculum, and…

This bulletin, which is published jointly by the Scottish Education Department (SED) and the Social Work Services Group, gives information on the provision made for children aged 5 years or younger in education authority nursery schools and departments in Scotland. Additional data on local day nurseries, preschool playgroups, and childminding…

Given the overall annual expenditure of approximately $250 billion on public education in the United States, there is great interest in how these dollars are allocated to states. This brief presents data showing the relationship between access to public-education resources and community wealth across all school districts in the United States for…

This report of the Rhode Island Kids Count organization details the state's infant and preschool child care, components of quality care, and state policies to increase the supply of quality care. The report begins with a discussion of the importance of providing good quality child care to enhance healthy child development, especially brain…

The impact of class size reduction at the early levels on student achievement in various states is discussed in this report. The Tennessee Student Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) study, a statewide longitudinal evaluation of the effects of class size on student achievement and development in primary grades K-3, analyzed demographic and basic…

This compilation of reprinted journal and newspaper articles covers the following topics: (1) The Front Lines; (2) Federal Policy; (3) Charter Schools; (4) School Choice; (5) Standards, Tests, and Accountability; (6) Teacher Quality; (7) Curriculum and Content; (8) Higher Education; and (9) Grab Bag. Each section is preceded by commentaries on…