This document contains 25 papers presented at 1993 and 1995 conferences convened as part of a 7-year international project concerned with the integration of children with special educational needs into mainstream schools. The papers are: (1) "The OECD Project: Integrating Students with Special Needs into Mainstream Schools" (Peter Evans and Don…

This report discusses the findings of a survey of the 50 states that investigated how state graduation requirements apply to students with limited English proficiency (LEP) and whether students with LEP receive a standard diploma upon completion of their studies or some type of modified exit document. Results found a minimum graduation requirement…

In response to new provisions in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), this issue describes the promising special education research that is helping all students participate successfully in large-scale testing programs. The first article, "State-Wide Assessment Programs," discusses the new provisions in IDEA that…

This book explores some of the underlying issues related to the changes taking place in British higher education. Individual chapters focus on the development of higher education in Britain, the various purposes it serves, how to assess it, and how to improve delivery. Part 1 addresses the dilemmas of mass higher education, and traces the…

The National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association recently released language arts standards. California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) has been engaged in collaborative projects with local school districts in two counties (Los Angeles and Orange). This paper highlights CSULB's efforts with language arts…

This document summarizes the findings of a year-long study that used case studies of specific schools in Japan to collect qualitative data on the Japanese educational experience. From 1994-95 the Case Study Project (a component of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study) collected information from interviews with students, parents,…

This volume of essays responds to What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future, a 1996 report of the National Commission on Teaching & America's Future (NCTAF). The report says that every child has the right to a caring, competent, and qualified teacher. As a result, politicians and educators strove to implement its recommendations in…

States experiencing success in raising student achievement are likely to be taking two key policy steps: identifying teaching standards that articulate what teachers should know and be able to do at different points in their careers and using those standards to develop more thoughtful certification and licensing systems, more productive teacher…

This report summarizes a 2001 decision by the New York State Supreme Court in a landmark school funding case, Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE), Inc. v. State of New York. The original lawsuit was filed on behalf of New York City students, charging that New York State has underfunded the New York City public schools and denied City students their…

This report provides data on the State of Delaware's performance goals and indicators for children with disabilities, their participation in assessments, the rate of long-range suspensions and expulsions, and disproportionalities based on race in identification and placement. The report is intended to serve as a baseline for future reporting on…

In 1989, the Kentucky Supreme Court declared that the state's public school system was unconstitutional and ordered the Kentucky legislature to create a new system of public education. The Kentucky General Assembly then enacted the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA). This book sets forth the policy assumptions underlying KERA and…

Standards-based curricula are being created throughout the world, and exit exams are being implemented in order to make sure that students meet those standards. There is a real potential that these standards will help improve the achievement of students, but there is also a possibility that these exams will be implemented in a way that will be…

This document presents eight lesson plans designed to teach self-determination and Arizona academic standards to students with disabilities in grades K-12. The lesson plans include: (1) an oral language lesson plan for students with learning disabilities in grades 1-2; (2) a reading acquisition lesson that teaches color words to students with…

While homeschooling has grown by 1,500 percent in Wisconsin in the past 15 years, it is not a threat to traditional education in the state. Analysis of Wisconsin respondents in one national study indicates 85 percent describe themselves as "Born Again" Christians; were largely middle-class, white, two-parent families, with instruction…

This report from the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) examines the status of publicly funded voucher programs, issues affecting the voucher movement, and program research. No legislature in the five member states served by SEDL has adopted vouchers, but several private programs are in place. Proponents claim vouchers offer an…