This brief report discusses the outcomes of a study that examined statewide behavioral initiatives (SBI) that involve general education, special education, or both. Forty-three state education agencies (SEAs) responded to a survey that investigated the development of SBI, focus of the SBI, and how well the SBI addresses the needs of students with…

This book is designed to further understanding of the procedures of Wisconsin's special education programs. The first section of the book is a large chart that is divided into key topics, including child find, transition, referral evaluation procedures, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team, eligibility, the IEP, student placement, and…

In 1991, Florida passed legislation requiring a master's degree as the professional standard for certification to provide speech and language services in Florida's public schools. The purpose of this rule was to establish certification consistent with American Speech-Language-Hearing Association standards. However, since that time, the…

In this report, the California Postsecondary Educational Commission responds to a request by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges that it review a proposal for a new community college--Folsom Lake College in Sacramento County within the Los Rios Community College District. The Commission offers eight conclusions and two…

This guide contains the recently revised 1998 Texas procedures concerning dyslexia and related disorders and provides school districts and parents with additional information on the state's dyslexia law and its relationship to the federal laws, Section 540 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The…

This bulletin is one in a series of publications already issued or now projected by the Office of Education as part of a major study of the junior high school, its status, problems encountered, and promising practices found among some of the more than 3,000 junior high schools. The general idea for this report came from the thinking and planning…

A study measured the financial, personnel, and academic dimensions of state regulation at 122 public universities, and examined how university and state characteristics affect regulatory climate and administrative flexibility. It also analyzed the dimensions of administrator satisfaction in 12 specific administrative positions in relation to…

Business cares about education standards because the well-being of their companies and every American is at stake. In the international marketplace, says former Lockheed-Martin chief executive officer (CEO) Norman Augustine, the United States is involved in a "battle of the classrooms." As a result, business leaders believe that…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 provided a clear mandate to school administrators to provide additional training for professional and paraprofessional staff. With its requirement that school districts must ensure that all staff are "highly qualified" for the roles assigned to them, it leaves no room for excuses or…

The Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing Technology Transfer and Training Initiative (ECMT3I) is a cooperative effort among education and research institutions in New Mexico to analyze problems in transferring environmental technologies from Department of Energy laboratories to small and medium enterprises (SME's). To identify and analyze…

This report discusses forces that are shaping alternative approaches to the delivery of postsecondary education, particularly distance education and open learning. One of these forces is the ever-changing composition of the student body, whose demands are increasing and whose needs are becoming more disparate because of a more and more…

This longitudinal multi-method study assessed changes in institutional autonomy at 30 community colleges in one state. Six years after legislated changes intended to increase autonomy and create a uniform fiscal operation system had been implemented, the study found that changes in autonomy in selected fiscal, personnel, and operational matters…

On January 31, 1996, Pioneer Institute Executive Director James A. Peyser delivered an address to the Boston Economic Club, in which he proposed radical reforms to the structure of public education. This publication contains an edited transcript of the speech. The speech argues that after 30 years of stagnation and decline, only fundamental…

Compared to the organization of two-year education in other states, Pennsylvania can be said to have a "non-system" in which local determination predominates and state planning and coordination agencies are little more than advisory bodies. California, for example, has a much larger and more regulated system than Pennsylvania, with the…

Unexpected absences from work that arise when employees are faced with children's illnesses or breakdowns in their regular child care arrangements cause a tremendous amount of stress for working families and losses in productivity businesses. Interest in emergency child care programs appears to be increasing. This report examines the increasing…