Sponsored by the Curriculum Policies Committee, which advises the Alberta Minister of Education on matters relating to the curricula used in provincial schools, the study of school programs for Alberta natives (Metis, status and non-status Indians) was intended to discuss whether there should be special educational programs for these students. The…

This report by the Texas State Board of Education to the 70th Legislature outlines reform legislation established in response to the call for school reform, specifically examining the components and implementation of a well-balanced basic curriculum in public schools. A reproduction of Section 21.101 of the Texas Education Code is supplied,…

This handbook: (1) describes the educational research program of the Planning Services Branch of Alberta (Canada) Education; (2) outlines projects underway for 1986-87; and (3) describes projects completed between April 1985 and July 1986. Section 1, "The Educational Research Program," describes priorities, guidelines, and procedures for…

Programs of school improvement based on characteristics of effective schools as identified by school effects researchers have proliferated in recent years. This paper describes major school improvement programs now underway throughout the United States: (1) programs organized and administered within schools and school districts in New York City;…

Current state guidelines for student-teacher ratios and/or caseloads in special education programs serving mildly handicapped students (including learning disabled, mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed, and speech impaired) were examined and compared with pupil-teacher ratios reported by the U.S. Department of Education. The study defined…

Any conclusions that community education concepts are "alive and well" were not supported in a study of the impact of state education policies on rural school districts with total enrollments of 350 students or less in the Great Plains Region (Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota). Survey…

The squeaky wheel method of policy implementation takes place when policy mandates are not implemented by need, but by the kind and amount of external influence mobilized on behalf of policy recipients. Case studies of three rural students with severe disabilities demonstrated that the services each child received were dependent on the strength of…

The 1980-86 economic decline in many parts of rural America has had a serious impact on public school financing and programs. While the recession has severely affected farm land values, the effect on property taxes has been delayed for several reasons: (1) assessed values in many states are based on land productivity capacity rather than market…

Responses from 230 New York State school districts were analyzed to determine the impact of the new State handicapped regulations with regard to financial impact, meeting the 30-day time period between initial referral of a handicapped child and board action, variances, and programming and placement according to 4 criteria. In general, small,…

This guidebook for managing declining enrollment in an era of fiscal retrenchment is presented in three sections. Section 1 describes the extent of enrollment decline; analyzes its causes, including changes in birth rates, women's work roles, and migration and housing patterns; and explores its effects, including reduced school budgets and staffs,…

In the spring of 1979, the National Institute of Education, in collaboration with the United States Office of Education, the UCLA Center for the Study of Evaluation (CSE), and members of a nation-wide network of research and development agencies, sponsored a national colloquy on the theme that testing could have an important impact in improving…

In 1978 the state of New York established the Regents Competency Testing Program to ensure that all high school students would achieve a state standard of competency in reading, writing, and mathematics prior to graduation. That same year the Resource Allocation Plan was established to help schools in improving pupils' achievement in the basic…

This report attempts to answer the questions most frequently asked by legislators, state agencies, external agencies, citizens, administrators, faculty, and students about Florida's 28 community colleges. Introductory sections describe the Florida public community college system history, philosophy, goals, and organization. Material on financial…

The Illinois State Board of Education's Advisory Policy on Evaluation and Assessment encourages districts to develop and implement total student assessment and program evaluation policies. The Board suggests that these policies include provisions for (1) a process for curriculum review; (2) a range of local standards for achievement in…

This is a report of hearings held in Washington, D. C., on June 11, 15, 18, and 19, 1981, before the Subcommittee on Employment and Productivity on employment and training programs and the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) that expires at the end of September, 1982. The focus of the hearings is examination of objectives of…