In March 2005, Governor Tom Vilsack and a committee of 12 legislators endorsed proposals intended to "make Iowa's public schools more efficient and improve achievement." Among the proposals was one calling for an education commission that would recommend to the 2007 Legislature a minimum school district and high school size. In light of…

In order to help the state of Illinois assess the extent to which it is providing access to educational opportunities that lead to successful transitions to college and the workforce, the IERC is undertaking a six-year longitudinal study following the 113,660 students in the Illinois high school class of 2002. This report, the second one in the…

This concise history of community colleges touches on major themes, including open access and equity, comprehensiveness, community-based philosophy, commitment to teaching, and lifelong learning. The third edition includes revised text as well as updated statistical information, time line, reading list, and Internet resources. In the more than a…

Six Education For All (EFA) goals were agreed to in the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal in 2000. Since then, UNESCO Bangkok, UNICEF and the Regional Thematic Working Group on EFA have been jointly assisting countries in conducting assessment of progress and gaps towards the EFA goals and mid-term review of policies and reforms. In October…

Previous studies conducted by the California Postsecondary Education Commission regarding student eligibility and college going rates determined that gaps exist in eligibility and enrollment rates among racial/ethnic groups. White and Asian students are eligible for the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) at much…

This brief presents an alternative view of how students should move from secondary to postsecondary education, and reviews two approaches that attempt to link high schools and colleges: (1) the coordination of high school exit standards, college entry standards, and Tech Prep; and (2) dual enrollment. Tech Prep offers students planned career…

This issue of "The Future of Children" focuses on efforts to provide publicly funded health insurance to low-income children in the United States through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The articles summarize current knowledge and research about which children are uninsured and why, discuss ways to…

This paper partially fulfills the charge set out by New Business Item (NBI) 18, passed at the 2004 NEA Representative Assembly requiring that NEA conduct an analysis of "weighted student formula" (also known as "student-based budgeting") and how it impacts educational programs in large urban districts. The funding system known as "weighted student…

One of a series of monographs on the performance of Chicago public high school students from 1993 to 2000, this publication examines the upward trend of special education enrollment in high schools. This corresponds with a systemwide redesign of high schools in the 1995 implementation of high stakes accountability. It notes that the enrollment of…

This article contends that the Department of Adult and Community College Education at North Carolina State University faces a significant challenge over the next 5 years, due to current Department faculty retirements and increasing competition from traditional, nontraditional, and virtual distance learning programs for prospective students. This…

This document is a 5-year plan designed to improve the overall service and performance of Iowa community colleges. The plan emphasizes how the Iowa system values maintaining an open-door policy, responding quickly to students, the community, and industry needs, and collaborating with different educational and business sectors. Four major strategic…

This document, the eighth edition of the "Mini-Digest of Education Statistics," provides a pocket-sized compilation of statistical information about U.S. education from kindergarten through graduate school. The statistical highlights provide a quantitative description of the current U.S. education scene. Data are from many government…

The city of Artesia (New Mexico) was considering the issuance of $210 million in industrial revenue bonds (IRB) for construction of a new poultry processing plant 5 miles west of Artesia in Eddy County. Since property financed with IRB is exempt from all state and local property taxes for the life of the bonds, the city of Artesia requested an…

California policy makers and institutional leaders are making critical policy, programmatic, and budgetary decisions affecting segments of the state's population that lack sufficient levels of formal training and education. These decisions are occurring at a time when five critical trends are converging in the state. These trends are: (1)…

Using data from national surveys, Illinois' higher education enrollment and funding patterns are compared to other states. Conclusions are drawn regarding the state's investment in higher education. (Contains 9 tables, 3 charts and 9 endnotes.)