During the 1995-96 academic year, the Hartford (Connecticut) Public School System (Connecticut) published "Academic Area Outcomes, PreKindergarten-Grade 12," a document that initiated a process of improvement of teaching, learning, and curriculum revision based on continuous assessment and accountability. Creation of this document was…

This final report of the Nebraska Special Education Accountability Commission presents recommendations for reforming the state's special education system. The tasks of the commission were to develop recommendations for a new funding system for special education which would be identification and placement neutral, to encourage preventive services,…

This report is part of South Carolina's effort to move toward "100 percent performance funding" for the state's public colleges and universities and results from a task force's investigation of ways to assess critical thinking. The following eight major findings are reported: (1) policy makers must determine priorities; (2) critical…

In response to Florida legislative mandate, this document reports on accountability measures and an accountability process for independent institutions of higher education that participate in the Florida resident access grant program and on the design and implementation of the accountability processes of the state postsecondary institutions. After…

This report exposes inadequacies in New York's education finance system, summarizing testimony and research collected for a lawsuit filed by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, Inc., on behalf of New York City students. The lawsuit charges that the state has underfunded the City's public schools, thus denying City students a sound basic education. The…

While school reform has already dramatically altered the culture of education in Kentucky, the future holds daunting challenges. This chapter examines a few of the most difficult changes being implemented as a result of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), as well as conditions external to schools that markedly influence educational success.…

This report quantitatively shows the progress of students in the area of general education development at College of DuPage (Illinois). The aims of general education are to promote students' understanding and appreciation of their culture and environment; to develop a system of personal values based on accepted ethics that lead to civic and social…

This book addresses the complications and implications of parental involvement in education as a policy. It attempts to explain the origins, meanings, and effects of parental involvement as a requisite of schooling, and particularly as a policy solution for low achievement and even inequity in the American educational system. The four chapters…

This paper provides an overview of national and state efforts to address school-performance scores as a means of monitoring local school productivity for the 21st century. School-accountability report cards were introduced in the early 1990s to provide parents and others with interesting and useful information about schools. However, many of these…

This report examines equity issues at charter schools serving predominantly minority or at-risk students. Increasing charter school enrollments of such students indicates the popularity of this choice for disadvantaged populations. Overall, charter schools enroll larger percentages of minority students than public schools. Advocates note that…

This report discusses the outcomes of a June 11-12, 1999, forum that addressed alternative assessments and gray areas in large-scale assessments for students with disabilities. The forum included 161 representatives from 42 state departments of education, 3 large school districts, 1 territory, and the Department of Defense Dependent Schools. Five…

Aggressive intervention by a school-choice coalition and supportive elected officials turned back threats to the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) posed by burdensome state regulation of private schools. MPCP continues to expand, studies report academic gains, parents are satisfied and involved, and public support has grown. Supporters of…

This report represents the response of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System (MnSCU) to a 1998 legislative directive to assess the feasibility of doctoral degree programs at MnSCU institutions. The report makes recommendations in four areas to be considered by the Board of Trustees: authority, parameters and guidelines,…

A growing movement to ground school curriculum in locally relevant material--often called place-based education--is capturing the attention of many rural educators. Some see this approach as a way to address the decline of rural communities, including the outmigration of youth, by preparing students to live productive and fully engaged lives in…

As states move toward higher expectations for student learning and stringent consequences for results, many school districts are demanding "reciprocity"--a level of resources and support they believe is needed to do the job. These demands are forcing policymakers to struggle with a difficult question: What kind and amount of resources does it take…