Examines Jersey City (New Jersey) Superintendent Franklin Williams' efforts to thwart the state's takeover of his school system, which is facing academic and managerial bankruptcy. An inset mentions other state takeovers or interventions in Texas, New Mexico, and Kentucky school districts facing financial and accreditation difficulties. (MLH)

Neither hyperrationalist nor decentralist reform strategies will seriously improve educational quality. Successful reform strategies incorporate three dimensions: the authorized movement, regional or localist responses, and conversation, involving changes in school rhetoric. States must create a context for developing organizational competence at…

A former governor's aide offers seven rules to help educators gain access to the seat of state budgetary and political power. (MLF)

North Carolina's School Improvement and Accountability Act of 1989 recognized "input" models of earlier legislation and regulation had inhibited local educators' efforts to achieve academic success. "Outcomes" model was adopted. Schools were encouraged to seek waivers from state laws and regulations that had prevented them from…

New Jersey students must pass high school proficiency test to receive state-endorsed high school diploma. Unless 75 percent of third, sixth, eighth grade students in every school score at or above state-prescribed minimal proficiency level in reading, writing, mathematics, school district will flunk state certification standards and face state…

In Illinois, the combination of aging structures, local taxpayer resistance to increased property taxes, and increased costs have all affected local school infrastructure feasibility. Proposes four steps districts should be required to take to meet their fiduciary responsibilities. (eight references) (MLF)

The purpose of the eleventh amendment was to protect the states from the federal government by limiting the power of the federal courts. Reviews litigation regarding whether a local school district is cloaked with the state's eleventh amendment immunity. (86 references) (MLF)

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 changes in the New Orleans public school system are proceeding at break neck speed. There is currently a bill in the Louisiana State Senate which would allow the state to sell, lease, or give New Orleans school buildings to any institution that has operated schools for 25 years. This would be done with a no-bid process. The money would not go…

The consequences of not graduating from high school are increasingly serious for both individuals and society as a whole. As a result, state and federal accountability systems now require reporting of more detailed graduation and dropout data. The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) requires states to report disaggregated…

Research is important to the image, visibility, and viability of school nursing. Each state school nursing association should evaluate member commitment to school nursing research based on their unique set of financial, educational, and organizational resources. A 3-round Delphi study was conducted in which Florida school nurses identified…

Information and communication technology (ICT) curriculum integration is the apparent goal of an extensive array of educational initiatives in all Australian states and territories. However, ICT curriculum integration is neither value neutral nor universally understood. The literature indicates the complexity of rationales and terminology that…

The demographic of the American college student has changed significantly in the last 20 years, affecting institutional planning on multiple levels. The study presented in this article examines the collaboration between Academic and Student Affairs at Buffalo State College in planning a family college designed to facilitate the integration of…

This guide presents the Iowa standard for developing a plan to provide at risk students with the additional help they need to succeed. The standard requires a linkage of local, state, and federal resources within each local education agency. The guide is divided into five sections: (I) Introduction; (II) Provisions for At-Risk Students--The Iowa…