Although California ranked sixth in 1983 per capita income, the state ranks 23rd in 1984-85 public school expenditures per pupil and 50th in student-teacher ratios. To address underfunding and class size problems, a Trust Fund for School Improvement is needed to coordinate fragmented funding sources for well-planned local projects. Included are 10…

Cites programs by governors and legislatures to make their states better places to start and operate a technology-based business. Areas addressed include starting companies, research and development money, university partnerships, and networking. Major development programs, economic education, and training information, and contact resources are…

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…

Pennsylvania's sophisticated system for student loan fraud and abuse detection is described, including the factors felt to contribute to its success and suggestions for improving other state agency fraud units. (MSE)

New Jersey's statewide testing program demonstrates that systematic data collection and reporting can have a major impact on both understanding the gap between college expectations and high school preparation and on the college and pre-college efforts to close that gap. (Author/MLW)

Articulation programs and agreements between institutions have become more frequent and problem-free as both sender and receiver recognize that a smooth transition benefits both interests. Eight banks of cross walk data were created in a computer system in Michigan schools. (MLW)

Asserts that program evaluation can identify weaknesses in a community college's curriculum and ways to overcome these weaknesses. Discusses reasons for program evaluation, state-level evaluation efforts in Florida, and two examples of campus program evaluation plans. Offers a curriculum planning model for the 1980's. (AYC)

Reviews history of concept of regional educational media centers (REMCs), which are intended to establish ways to provide media and educational technologies for local schools. Highlights include development of Michigan's REMCs and services covered in the "Rules and Regulations Governing Michigan's Regional Educational Media Centers."…

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…

This 15th annual "KIDS COUNT Data Book" examines the issues surrounding America's most at-risk young adults. It examines who they are, why it is so critical that they receive help, and what they need to succeed. Just as important, it outlines a number of ways the path of their lives can be altered thus increasing the odds that they too,…

Drawing on the authors' considerable knowledge of the research and of federal and state policymaking in middle and high reading and writing, the Alliance for Excellent Education has worked for the past 2 months, at no charge to the state, to review existing data, gather opinions, study literacy achievement trends, identify literacy programs and…

The Board of Regents (BoR) and State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (SBESE) selected external consultants who possessed knowledge of current research and effective practices to review and evaluate redesigned programs for educational leaders and teachers. In addition, personnel from the Louisiana Department of Education reviewed all…

Over the past decade, investing in learning programs for young children has emerged as a central strategy in states' efforts to improve educational achievement and opportunity. This trend has been fueled by strong public support and a steady stream of research findings on the influence of the first few years of life on cognitive and emotional…

Dual credit, the approach by which students receive both high school and college credit for the same course, has received enormous attention in recent years. The original intent of dual credit was to provide more challenging curricula to academically prepared high school students. Over the past three decades, the target recipients of the program…

This report provides a snapshot of Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states' electronic initiatives and demonstrates states' commitment to expanding learning opportunities for their residents. The following five common objectives emerging from a review of state activities are listed: (1) to develop the economy and train the work force; (2)…