Educators should be aware of the Education Commission of the States' influence on state policy making as it pertains to the local education scene. This article explores the history and current activities of the Commission. (Editor)

In the standards-based education reforms of today, an important question is how much it will cost for all--or almost all--students to reach state-determined proficiency levels? School finance adequacy seeks to determine that cost. Four models have been developed to estimate the costs of adequacy. Two of them--the professional judgment and the…