In response to ongoing court battles regarding the adequacy and equity of Arkansas' education system, the state's lawmakers have effected school reforms in many areas over the past few years, including nearly a 30 percent increase in educational expenditures from 2003-04 to 2004-05. The authors distributed a confidential survey to all 254 school…

The current interest in governmental assessment and accountability practices appears to result from:(1) an emerging view of higher education as an "industry"; (2) concerns about efficient resource allocation; (3) a lack of trust ade between government institutional officials; (4) a desire to reduce uncertainty in government/higher education…

Although circumstances that can activate burnout are common in all subjects, those who teach social studies may be more susceptible to it because the profession requires teaching for democratic values and critical thinking, even when cultural influences and the political climate are not supportive of those objectives. In this article, the author…

In 2002, Tanzania renewed its 1974 commitment to universal primary education. This paper explores differences in the current policy-formulation context, examining how development discourse and aid practice have shifted the space and scale of public governance in Tanzania, legitimising international agendas and the participation of non-Tanzanians…

In this essay, the author calls attention to a little-studied but critical aspect of school system reform: the nontransparent and sometimes illogical ways school districts allocate funds and personnel, especially teachers. Drawing on a series of studies produced by his Center for Reinventing Public Education, the author asserts that mayors who…

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, as China's society and economy continue to develop and higher education undergoes further reform, higher education teacher training, which is crucial to building a teacher base in institutions of higher education and an effective means of tapping human resources, finds itself at an historic turning point.…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and the efficacy of regional special education programs. Focus groups were conducted in an independent school district and two special education cooperatives. Focus groups were conducted with general education teachers, special education teachers, principals, paraprofessionals,…

This report is one of nine detailed case studies of small urban high schools that served as the foundation for the Education Resource Strategies (ERS) report "Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools." These nine schools were dubbed "Leading Edge Schools" because they stand apart from other high…

This report compares actual performance with the projected levels of performance set out in the National Council on Disability's (NCD's) annual performance plan. The findings of this report show a positive link between the allocated resources and NCD's performance. NCD's assessment review showed that it was successful in meeting its goals and…

The State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report is a tool to help policy makers and educators address broad public policy questions. SHEF seeks to inform policy deliberations with information and perspective on financial issues and national trends. The fiscal year 2006 SHEF study builds on the work of Kent Halstead, who conceptualized and…

The State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report is a tool to help policy makers and educators address broad public policy questions. SHEF seeks to inform policy deliberations with information and perspective on financial issues and national trends. The fiscal 2006 SHEF study builds on the work of Kent Halstead, who conceptualized and implemented…

This paper discusses whether liberal arts colleges are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain their traditional curriculum as they compete for students, as well as strategies that may enable these institutions to survive while maintaining their liberal arts identity. It observes that many liberal arts colleges award less than 40 percent of…

This volume of the annual report on the state of education in Arizona focuses on statistical and financial data for the 1993-94 school year. Section 1 provides general statistical information in the following categories: (1) state funding and revenues; (2) expenditure history; (3) average daily membership history; (4) state summary of number and…

This paper describes the views of special education directors in 17 Kentucky school districts concerning effects of a 1990 law, the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), which called for systemwide change in education and instituted a finance system, Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK), which uses a pupil weighting system. The study…

This paper outlines the history of Czech higher education, changes after the 1989 "Velvet Revolution," and possible future directions as the society as a whole adjusts to non-Soviet, democratic government. An early section describes the early development of higher education beginning with the founding of Charles University in 1348. The…