Forty-two states and the District of Columbia have enacted charter school legislation. The Education Commission of the States (ECS) analysts reviewed laws in the 50 states in creating an online database that highlights how state charter school laws vary, particularly in how states establish standards and accountability for charter school…

States began adopting the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in 2010 after they were launched by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association. Five years later, policymakers in numerous states continue to debate the Common Core and related elements, such as how to assess the standards. This brief provides a…

Describes what the states of Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, and Illinois are doing to comply with No Child Left Behind Act requirement for reporting adequate yearly progress for students in several subgroups, including students with disabilities, low-income students, ethnic and racial minorities, and English learners. (PKP)

Summarizes 2 state initiatives to address the achievement gap: North Carolina's report by the Advisory Commission on Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps, containing an 11-point strategy, and Kentucky's legislation putting in place 10 specific processes. The North Carolina report is available at www.dpi.state.nc.us.closingthegap; Kentucky's…

In the first quarter of the 2004 legislative sessions, some states continued to amend existing laws to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, while others began to move beyond compliance to improve the means by which they intend to leverage greater student achievement. Still others addressed health issues, fiscal officers,…

There's parent involvement and then there's parent involvement. There's the kind that has parents volunteering their time in schools, making costumes, or organizing and staffing the school carnival fund-raiser. This is helpful activity by any measure--helpful in the service of kids and not to be minimized. But there are other levels of involvement…

Describes research reports dealing with child nutrition and efforts to improve it through state and federal sponsorship of school breakfast and lunch programs for poor children, the reduction of fat and sugar in school lunches, and banning the sale of "junk food" at school. (PKP)

Compares state policies with accountability provisions of the newly reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act. (PKP)

Legislators often try to identify barriers through committee hearings in which they seek the advice of those closest to a problem. For example, they might ask several superintendents to come before the committee to talk about barriers related to dealing with high school truancy. Or they might hear from district business officials about the…

Discusses state and federal efforts to improve the skills and knowledge of special-needs students, including opportunities to move to postsecondary education. Describes accommodations, measuring and reporting yearly progress, transitions, and cost. (PKP)

Describes findings and recommendations of the first annual report of the Massachusetts Education Reform Review Commission, which focused on standards and assessments, accountability, district and teacher capacity, and funding. (PKP)

This article summarizes the efforts of legislators in studying up on what they might do to affect how well kids learn after the summer break. Some of the legislators' work leaned toward improving students' health, while some targeted dropouts or civic education. Most of the capitol-dome work appears to have matched the typical garden: a few…

Discusses Utah's competency-based education bill (S.B. 154). Includes graduation requirements, role of local boards, task force charge, alternative teacher certification, state education summit, state board of education role in the bill's implementation. (PKP)

In Physics "critical mass" refers to the minimum amount of fissionable material required to sustain a chain reaction. The adoption of state education policy isn't often equated with this concept, but occasionally solutions and ideas seem to gather around a common problem. If the solution at hand is simple, easily understood, and…

Plenty of state policies have been noteworthy in 2004, but one that had major impact went into effect in Illinois, where the governance of education was significantly restructured. S.B. 3000 (the Education Reform and Accountability Act of 2004) gives the governor greater influence over education through his or her control of the state board of…