Describes a one-year course to develop students' research skills at the Arkansas School for Mathematics and Science. The course offers a combination of rigorous content (optics and optical instrumentation), interdisciplinary curriculum, and hands-on experiences in meaningful, nontraditional learning in real-life research settings. (Author/DB)

Many school districts in sparsely populated areas of the Midwest and West are contending with dwindling enrollments. Nevertheless, small communities such as Robinson, North Dakota, are resisting pressure from the state and neighboring districts to merge with other school systems. A graph depicts North Dakota enrollment since 1963. Arguments for…

Christian knowledge used to be taught in the Norwegian state school as a compulsory subject for members of Lutheran churches. In 1997 this was replaced by a subject that is compulsory for all pupils, where both Christianity, other religions and secular world views are taught on an equal basis, although more time should be used on Christianity than…

This report explores current thinking in professional development as it relates to strategies for reform. It begins with a discussion of the relationship between professional development and school reform and a description of recent efforts by the National Governors' Association to stimulate dialogue on the issue. The report then discusses the…

This handbook is designed to be used by superintendents, school district personnel officers, and building administrators who are responsible for assuring proper licensure and assignment of teachers and other licensed employees to specific positions. The handbook is divided into five sections. Section 1 reviews the background and goals of the…

This article reviews the development of state funding formulas or guidelines for public higher education. Originally viewed as a means to distribute public funds in a rational and equitable manner, they now are complicated methodologies. Funding formulas are all-inclusive or itemized; most states use the itemized approach. There are three…

Providing both state-level and individual college data, this two-part report examines the effects of revenue shortfalls on the California Community Colleges during the state's economic recession in the early 1990's and reviews strategies employed to cope with the shortfalls. The first part examines the effect of the recession on the community…

This paper provides a historical review of equity in funding education in Alberta. It describes government attempts to address fiscal inequities and shows how the introduction of full spending in 1994 addressed many of the equity problems in Alberta. Full provincial funding of education has proved an overall success, but it faces the following…

This document contains the Oregon State Board of Education's 1996 edition of administrative rules relating to Oregon schools and community colleges. The document contains regulatory materials pertaining to the following areas: procedural rules; minimum pay for substitute teachers; reorganization; textbook adoption; special education; the Oregon…

This report describes a financial and governance crisis that occurred in the California Community Colleges between 1981 and 1987. Following prefatory materials, chapter 1 provides an overview of the system, describing growth between 1950 and 1980, funding, governance, and the colleges' mission. Chapter 2 presents background to the crisis up to…

Today's education governance reform efforts call for new ways of allocating resources to public education to allow for more local control of budgetary decision making. This research begins by exploring the federal, state, and local mechanisms by which public education is supported in California before turning to an examination of how those…

The results of two statewide surveys, the fall 1989 Basic Educational Data System (BEDS) survey and surveys of school district use of the services at the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Regional Information and Computer Centers, dramatically underscore the continued expansion and use of technology for instructional and management…

This report provides information on gifted and talented education in Alaska, based on a survey of 154 teachers and 728 parents in 41 of 54 school districts. The report describes student eligibility, service availability, curriculum and administrative models, teacher training, parent satisfaction, and service evaluation. The report considers…

An understanding of state accountability systems is critical in the discussion of educational reform. Clear and complete definitions of expectations for learners are needed before conducting educational assessments. This document describes findings of a study that examined six state accountability systems, with a focus on how they impacted…

This paper describes Illinois' program for warning school districts of impending financial troubles and the reactions of superintendents to the state's "early warning" program. In February 192, the State of Illinois issued a list of 111 school districts, out of a total of 946 districts, that were on the Financial Watch list. Of…