This paper explores the impact of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990 on the funding and allocation of resources to special education. Overall, the results indicate that the revenues generated for the special education system by KERA are approximately equal to marginal costs of special education services statewide. However, there is…

This second annual report card on the status of Oregon public education describes the implementation of the Oregon Educational Act for the 21st Century. Information is presented in the following areas--school finance, staff characteristics and salaries, student demographics and achievement, student participation in programs and services, and…

This document reports on the findings of the Fiscal Year (FY) 1992 evaluation of the Illinois Prekindergarten Program for Children At Risk of Academic Failure, initiated in 1985 through a statute authorizing the State Board of Education to implement and administer a grant program to public school districts to conduct preschool education programs…

The Texas Education Agency has been developing materials to address issues related to the Professional Development Appraisal System (PDAS). The PDAS was developed under a legislative mandate to establish a fair and practical appraisal process that acknowledges and reinforces good teaching practices and quality professional development. An…

A study evaluated the performance of 253 welfare recipients who listed Aid to Families with Dependent Children as an income source and graduated from Eastern Washington University (EWU) between September 1994 and August 1996. Graduates' wages were obtained from the state Employment Securities Division; current welfare status was established…

In the context of the growing challenges to public education that have materialized in California over the past decade, this first of two volumes is presented as a resource document for legislators and others interested in education reform. Volume 1 looks at emerging education issues for the 1995-96 legislative session and summarizes the state's…

In compliance with 1983 state legislation, the Florida Postsecondary Education Planning Commission reviewed five Regional Coordinating Councils for Vocational and Adult General Education during 1990-91, focusing on staffing arrangements. As part of the review process, the commission distributed a questionnaire to all 28 of the councils' executive…

Findings and recommendations regarding the regulation and provision of child day care in Virginia are reported. Most of the data in the report are based on recent Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission surveys of parents, child care providers, regulatory personnel, and child care programs in other states. In general, child day care in…

The evolution of California's school accountability program, its current status, and some future directions are discussed. Public recognition of the need for school improvement resulted in California's Hughes Hart Education Reform Act (SB 813) of 1983, leading to the development of the California accountability program. Program components include:…

In 1988, the Kentucky General Assembly enacted the Parenting and Family Life Skills Act, KRS 158.797, which requires the teaching of parenting and family life skills to pupils in Kentucky's schools. Pursuant to this Act, the Kentucky Department of Education developed the model curriculum presented in this document as a guide for local school…

These three volumes, compiled by the Great Lakes Area Regional Resource Center, provide information regarding state regulations for staff to student ratios and class size/caseload for special education programs. The first volume presents this information in a short form, in charts grouped according to handicapping condition alphabetically from…

According to the definition that a rural school district is one in which 75% or more of the population lives outside Standard Metropolitan Areas or in which student density is equal to or less than 10 pupils per square miles, 36 or 65% of West Virginia's 55 counties are classified as rural. State school policies do not specifically recognize the…

This report reviews existing proposals pertaining to pre-paid college tuition programs among the states. Four major program formats are reviewed: the trust approach, the education IRA (Individual Retirement Account) approach, the tuition certificate approach, and the savings bond approach. The advantages and disadvantages of each approach are…

A 1990 New York State Assembly bill requiring a $27.7 million increase in the local assistance budget for libraries for 1990-1991 reflects the priorities of the 1990 New York State Regents Legislative Program for Libraries and the State Department of Education to promote "better beginnings" for New Yorkers. The bill would increase aid…

This report, derived from a survey of foreign language supervisors in each state and the District of Columbia, provides an overview of the various state initiatives and activities in foreign languages and international studies. The report is intended to provide some useful information to national policymakers, state governments, and concerned…