Reports on an Iowa survey of school compliance with state-legislated activities (in this case, a needs assessment) and of administrator attitudes toward the worth of the mandated program. (IRT)

Questions whether community colleges really exercise any meaningful degree of local control by examining bills passed in Michigan which place new forms of regulatory control on community colleges by the governor's office, legislature, state licensing agencies, labor organizations, federal agencies, or the attorney general's office. (TP)

A look at some of the State's 21 recommendations on high school graduation standards and NJEA's policy on high school graduation and basic skills. ( Editor)

An ever-increasing constraint upon the freedom of the teacher and the curriculum is developing. Specifically, the curriculum development going on inside the confines of state legislatures. Suggestions for insuring professional involvement in curriculum matters were offered. (Author/RK)

In 1836, a young Swiss physician, Johann Jacob Guggenbuhl, introduced a residential setting for a handicapped child and attempted to develop a well-designed program and philosophy for the local retarded population. Some of the same problems that he faced are still being discussed. Here the costs of such programs are considered in terms finance,…

Describes consortium consisting of state agency, private corporation, urban board of education, teacher union, and local university. Their common goal was an effective in-service education program for regular and special educators in mainstreaming. Planning, implementation, and evaluation are described. (TE)

Investigates alternative measures of school district wealth, focusing on the issue of intergovernmental aid (particularly equalization aid), arguments for and against different wealth measures, jurisdictional implications of the use of alternative wealth measures in four states, and the effect of alternative wealth measures on state equalization…

Since 1988, more than half of all states have passed laws that allow state authorities to take control of local school districts under certain circumstances. As of 2004, 54 cases of state takeovers had been reported nationwide--most of them in urban and rural districts. The most commonly cited causes are financial and management problems; academic…

This report includes information derived from a survey of 24 states on out of state placement of students with disabilities. Survey questions address: (1) whether local education agencies (LEAs) are notified by agencies outside of education when an out of state placement for purposes other than education is immanent; (2) whether LEAs are given…

This report presents articles that explore the changing role of the states in addressing the nation's need to build and modernize its public schools. The article, "Doling Out Facilities Aid Proves Tricky," explains how some states have learned that securing funds is only one part of helping districts pay for construction. "Some States Help Charter…

The general reluctance to use public policy to confront social concerns has increased over the past 20 years. This document discusses how America arrived at this view of public social policy. Mentoring and after-school programs are examined to help explain specific opportunities and limits likely to make up the social policy climate for early…

This issue of State Education Leader titled "Public Policy and Community Colleges" focuses on issues of importance to community colleges. The highlighted articles in this issue discuss current legislation and reform that has impacted community colleges. In "Challenges Yet Unmet," Katherine Boswell discusses how state policy leaders look to…

This document is a report of the proceedings of the fifth National Monitoring Conference. The contents include a brief background on monitoring and a synopsis of each of the conference sessions. The opening plenary covered the states' monitoring experiences in the first year of the new federal process following the reauthorization of the…

This report presents study results on the condition of the nation's school infrastructure and provides recommendations for creating a system of comprehensive strategic planning that will support the creation of high quality learning environments for all children. The report highlights the efforts of a number of schools, districts, states, and…

The California legislature's Joint Legislative Audit Committee has issued a report concerning the Belmont Learning Complex (BLC) and the Los Angeles Unified School District's (LAUSD's) propensity for engaging in a series of school construction projects on contaminated land. The analysis suggests that the LAUSD was made aware of the BLC site's…