If a charter-school act permits too much freedom from state regulations, it may create private schools ineligible for state funding. In "Council of Organizations about Parochiaid v. Governor," the Michigan courts ruled on levels of state control necessary for charter schools to be considered public. At least 13 states would fail the…

The transitional process of the FYR of Macedonia since independence in 1991 has been marked by a severe economic crisis, which has led to a significant increase in the levels of unemployment (31.9 percent in 2002) and poverty (22.7 percent in 2001). The turbulent situation in the Balkan region (war in the countries of the Former Yugoslavia) and…

The Maryland legislature's success in blocking a state takeover of low-performing schools in Baltimore under the No Child Left Behind Act raises the prospect of political resistance in other states that might attempt such intervention. While no other state has yet invoked the federal law to take control of a school, the experience in Maryland…

"Keeping Pace" has several goals. First, it strives to add to the body of knowledge about online education policy and practice and make recommendations for advances. Second, it serves as a reference source for information about programs and policies across the country, both for policymakers and practitioners who are new to online…

Many academics in the past have attempted to provide an overview of the general and common elements and "trends" in contemporary, international education policy, focusing mainly on the most advanced--economically and technologically--countries of the "West": from the increasing adoption of market ideologies in (public)…

Over the last three decades 45 states have been confronted with school finance lawsuits. This phenomenon has led to a proliferation of school funding equity studies. However, to date, most studies of the equity of state school finance systems have focused on differences in expenditures between school districts. More recent research has found…

Vermont's State Board of Education in 1990 set four primary goals for its educational system: produce well-rounded individuals and citizens, restructure schools to support very high performance for all students, develop the best teachers and administrators in the nation, and create partnerships to support education. Also, a common core of learning…

A series of focus group interviews with teachers and principals from six schools in several mid-Atlantic states examined common frustrations over staff development and school restructuring. Results of the interviews showed that the staff development needs of schools undergoing restructuring often do not match programs offered by the state or…

The state of Illinois is encouraging schools to better inspect and evaluate the causes of their pest infestation problems through use of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) guidelines developed by the Illinois Department of Public Health. This guide reviews the philosophy and organization of an IPM program for structural pests in schools,…

The State of New Jersey mandated that local school districts establish attendance policies beginning September 1, 1981. The purpose of this study is to determine if this mandated policy has produced a significant effect on school attendance, dropout rate, and student performance. A specially developed questionnaire asked 42 principals, randomly…

Educational Service Agencies (ESA's) are public education agencies that provide specialized programs and services to a group of school districts in a specified geographical region and to the state department of education. Most states have encouraged the development of ESA's that have either evolved out of county districts or have been created to…

Admission policies and practices for state-operated residential schools for the deaf were studied following the full implementation of Public Law 94-142. Questionnaires were returned by 56 school administrators representing 93 percent of the total number of residential schools for the deaf in the United States. Results include the following: 1)…

Article looked at how the recently passed school aid program should work. (Editor/RK)

In Gay Students Organization v. Bonner the GSO sought judgment on the constitutionality of the University of New Hampshire's ban on its dances. The court afforded the dances First Amendment protection as a right attaching to University recognition of the GSO. This note proposes a first amendment analysis focusing on the dance as communicative…

The present legislature and governor of California, along with the general public, will not put more money into education without a guarantee of improved results. Published by California School Boards Association, 800 9th Street, Suite 201, Sacramento, California 95814. (Author/WM)