This fourth report in the Southern Regional Education Board's series on middle-grades education recommends a number of actions that states, districts, and schools can take to improve middle-school student performance. These recommendations address lagging achievement, a lack of focus on academics, unprepared teachers, and a need for leadership and…

The Mission of the Idaho State Department of Education is to promote a thorough system of public education by providing leadership and consultation to school districts, the public, and partner agencies. The State Department of Education will assist in delivering excellent programs and services, leading to success for all learners and meeting the…

Describes the issues in an Illinois court case brought by school districts who claim the State is holding back appropriated school funds from one fiscal year to the next. (Author/DN)

Describes conflict between the Leeds Education Committee and the Board of Education of England over the administration of secondary schools in Leeds. (JF)

Discusses the interface between the various educational organizations, the necessary information base, and planning mechanisms and structures.'' (Editor)

An interview with Dr. Edward J. Bloustein, President of Rutgers University. (Editor)

This article suggests that current teacher licensure standards and processes need revision, and recommends new State certification agencies whose main concern would be to return authority to local districts to develop their own standards. (JH)

The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) criticizes state-mandated program-oriented budgeting as limited, laborious, inflexible, and more concerned with efficiency than with sound education. NJEA sets out its own guidelines on school budgeting, which favor the traditional line-item budget. (SJL)

People with developmental disabilities (n=781) living in institutional and community residential placements were asked what they would wish for if they had one wish. Results indicated individuals in state schools wished for more material goods and were more likely to want to move; wishes varied greatly by residential placement; and wish patterns…

Recent state reform waves can be classified into three packages (academic standards, professional policy, and curriculum development) stressing productivity, efficiency, and educational excellence. Following a historical overview, this article discusses implementation models and strategies, lessons learned, state-local school district…

Purpose: To document statewide and regional caseloads and to examine workload management strategies by surveying speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in Washington State public schools. Method: All school SLPs who were registered with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction were mailed a detailed survey in May, 2001 and a brief…

Improving the quality of state-funded secondary school education remains a major explicit policy aim in the UK. The central means by which state-provided education in the UK is now regulated is through the system of inspections carried out by the Office of Standards in Education (Ofsted), set up in 1992. The research reported in this paper…