Drawing from a review of the literature, input from experts on student retention, and the opinions of educators throughout Alabama, this manual provides guidelines for conducting institutional research on retention, implementing programs to enhance the quality of the educational experiences of two-year college students in the state, and developing…

An analysis of the experiences of two states perceived as school choice innovators, Iowa and Nebraska, is presented in this paper. Three problem areas contributed to uncertainty are identified: classroom capacity, transportation, and funding. Recommendations include: limited parental choice; establishing enrollment loss ceilings; clear governance…

This document, the 1987-89 statewide (Indiana) performance report, addresses 14 objectives that the state, through its educational institutions, strived to achieve. The report is organized around the strategic directions adopted by the State Commission for Higher Education as part of its work plan for 1987-90. The objectives successfully achieved…

Recent educational reform initiatives have caused the state to examine its role in regulation of schools, and the current regulatory processes have been found to be in need of revision. The current system, in which the state grants "recognition" to schools that meet its standards based on whether they meet a rigidly defined set of…

The Canadian population's belief in the values of effective leadership, proven competence, and responsive representation of society's interests have led to the development of an educational system in which (1) the central provincial government exercises greater power over education than do local boards, (2) local boards generally bow to the…

Because textbooks are essential instructional tools, they should play a major role in educational reform for excellence. Despite improvements in response to ethnic and women's movements, deterioration in textbook quality has occurred through competition for markets. Former Secretary of Education Terrel Bell observed in 1984 that educators should…

This paper describes a state-sponsored management assistance project for improving the cost-effectiveness of school food services. First, the history, rationale, and present function of the Division of Management Assistance in the Pennsylvania Department of Education is described. Its primary purpose is to assist schools with fiscal problems in…

Perceptions of the political behavior of superintendents in New Mexico vary widely throughout the state. Questionnaires and interviews were used to gather information from superintendents, school board chairmen, and state legislators concerning the frequency, extent, and kinds of political activity in which superintendents were involved. Four…

This document outlines the Milwaukee Public Schools' proposed plan of service for children at risk. The report's organization follows the format of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction compliance form, which is included. Procedures are described for identifying children in grades 8-12 who have dropped out of school, who have been absent…

Chapter 1, the Federal program of grants to local education agencies (LEAs) for the education of disadvantaged children, authorizes the distribution of assistance through both a basic and a concentration grant formula. Concentration grants are intended to provide additional assistance to areas with especially high numbers or proportions of…

This publication provides information concerning New York State's school expenditures, state aid, and local support. Summarized are the finances of major school districts in the school year 1986-87 as well as public school expenditures and state aid since 1963-64. The first section deals with the financing of public education in New York State in…

This booklet summarizes a longer report on implementing the Mississippi Education Reform Act of 1982, a comprehensive strategy for the improvement of public education in the State. The document explains significant laws and programs established to address problems in four areas: (1) student achievement; (2) preparation and professional growth of…

Eight papers, each presented at one of three conferences sponsored by the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), are published together in this collection. It provides an overview of the current interest in developing nations in the role of administration in educational development, particularly as that role involves the…

The purpose of this study was to test the relationship between the per pupil cost of new school construction in West Virginia and independent variables categorized as either financial, school district characteristics, or individual building characteristics. The study group consisted of 128 elementary, secondary, and vocational-technical school…

Drawing from the literature on the financing of community colleges, this paper discusses problems associated with state community college funding and examines the relationships that arise between the state, local community college districts, and students when each is an important source of revenue to the community college. In the first section,…