The final report documents activities and presents recommendations of the 2-year demonstration phase of a project to coordinate school-to-community transition services at the state and local levels for students with disabilities. The critical importance of the transition period and passage by the Maine Legislation in 1986 of the Transitional…

Curriculum guidelines are initiated at both state and district levels. This paper explores the interplay between curriculum policies designed at the local level and those developed at the state level by examining the policy environments in two districts each in Florida, Michigan, and California. The authors suggest that two types of interactive…

When exploring the relationship between states and the federal government, analysts have examined the strategic value of a differential approach as well as the political issues involved. This paper explores those themes in examining state differential treatment of districts under four major headings: (1) the tensions between uniformity and…

This document comprises the final report of the Virginia Department of Health Professions' Task Force on anabolic steroid misuse among minors. As such, it summarizes the activities of the department and of the boards within the department, the Offices of the Secretary of Health and Education, and other organizations including the Virginia High…

Public school choice is an area of educational reform that has received attention from state and federal policymakers. Common applications of choice programs include alternative schools; open enrollment/intradistrict choice; and statewide/interdistrict choice. The following areas in public school choice are covered in this report: perceived…

Although educational reform approaches have varied from state to state, most efforts have shared some common elements: (1) concentration of educational policymaking in state capitols by state-level officials; (2) a widespread conviction that schools of education, local school officials, and teachers are unwilling or unable to "reform"…

Florida's Meritorious School Act provides monetary rewards for meritorious schools in each of the state's 67 districts when the schools are identified using approved procedures. The law calls for each district to develop its own plan for selecting winning schools. Each school must be selected in part by being in the upper quartile of district…

Guidelines for preparing local inservice education plans that will meet the requirements of Kansas State Board of Inservice Education regulations include nine steps for local districts to follow: (1) notify the State Department of Education that the district will submit a 5-year plan; (2) organize a professional development council of local…

One hundred of the largest school districts from seven regions were surveyed to scrutinize local teacher evaluation policies and practices, to determine the efficiency of local evaluation instruments and procedures, and to compare local teacher evaluation with state teacher evaluation programs. The Teacher Evaluation Practices Survey (TEPS) was…

In an effort to better understand the intents of those policies that prescribe state-level textbook adoption, a study collected and analyzed data from (1) the textbook adoption statutes of each of the 22 "state adoption" states, (2) documents and policy manuals produced by the state departments of education of each of these 22 states,…

Thirty-six percent of New Jersey's school population attend schools in areas classified as urban. The state has reviewed and increased its role in helping local educators overcome the difficulties of the urban environment and strengthen the schools in these districts. This role is summarized in a presentation of programs and other initiatives,…

As part of its 1984 school reform initiative, the Maine legislature created the Innovative Education Grant Program. It was designed to act as a catalyst for new ideas, conceived by teachers and principals, to bring new energy to classrooms and schools. From April 1986 through June 1986, 278 programs were put into practice. Descriptions of 23 of…

The handbook is intended as a reference on New York state aid for special education for local school districts, Boards of Cooperative Educational Services, and private schools. An introduction traces the history of special education legislation within the state. Succeeding chapters touch upon determination of pupil placement for educational…

This booklet contains guidelines to assist school districts in developing programs that meet the requirements of the New York State Bureau of Bilingual Education. The guidelines are presented in six parts: (1) an explanation of part 154 of the regulations, the purpose of which is to establish standards for the use of funds made available by the…

This manual, a product of the Washington State Early Entrance Identification Committee, was designed to offer technical assistance to the school districts of Washington State. Its primary objective is to provide information to those districts seeking assistance in the identification of the exceptionally able child who does not meet the age…