While issues of higher education access, opportunity, and impact are hotly debated on the floors of Congress and in state legislatures, it is the state's higher education executive officer (SHEEO) who is expected to be an innovative policymaker, an astute political actor, an all-seeing fortune-teller, and a rapid problem-solver. These…

This report provides guidance and information on resources to assist elementary schools, parents, community members, and policymakers in implementing a systemic approach to standards-based education. It makes clear recommendations on how schools can achieve a coordinated system in which standards, assessment, accountability, and curriculum are…

This book provides a group of articles concerning the equity and efficiency of prepaid college tuition plans. Chapters: (1) introduce the subject; (2) examine the competing financial theories at play in this field; (3) present a study of the Michigan Education Trust's decision to expand its subscriber base by offering a monthly payment option; (4)…

This book identifies factors, structures, and procedures contributing to effective statewide coordination and governance of public colleges and universities. The heart of the book consists of descriptions of representative structures in 4 states, where interviews were conducted with 114 individuals--legislators, gubernatorial staff, system heads,…

Disputing the claim that improved student learning requires stronger academic standards and stiffer tests, the authors of this book contend that effective state reform depends on coherence in policy and practice, and opportunities for professional learning. It draws on a study of a program in California that worked to improve mathematics teaching…

This volume analyzes government policies for helping students pay for education beyond high school and was developed as a result of an October 1994 gathering of policymakers, analysts, and practitioners convened to review federal student assistance and to consider policy alternatives for the Clinton Administration. Chapter 1, "A Fifty-Year…

This study examines the relationship between income and housing assistance programs. The welfare system, through the explicit and implicit shelter allowances that welfare recipients receive as part of their public assistance benefits, spends at least $10 billion a year on housing assistance. The Department of Housing and Urban Development spends a…

This text presents 12 chapters on the development of coordinated systems of service delivery to infants and toddlers who have disabilities or are at risk for disabilities and their families, as mandated by Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). An introductory chapter by Lawrence J. Johnson presents a general overview of…

This book describes the operation of state and local government pension systems for teachers, explores the rationale behind current administrative and financial practices, and describes the interaction of special interest groups, pension professionals, and investment personnel with the administration of these systems. The pension systems in 23…

This book, which is intended for policymakers, administrators, and researchers, contains 13 research papers and reviews of the literature on increasing the effectiveness of publicly funded training. The following papers are included: "Publicly Funded Training in a Changing Labor Market" (Burt S. Barnow, Christopher T. King); "The…