The goal of the doctoral dissertation summarized here was to develop a set of recommended guidelines to be used in developing standards and procedures for elementary and secondary public school facility construction in Arizona. The study focuses on determining the essential elements of these guidelines and on determining which of these elements…

The goals of this position paper are: (1) to describe some specific roles the federal state and local governments can play in regard to child care standards and regulations and (2) to make some straightforward and down-to-earth suggestions, which should undergird national child care standards and regulations, as these relate to day care. Some of…

Michigan's 9-member Task Force on Migrant Labor, established in 1969, was charged by the governor (1) to develop and provide for carrying out more effective ways to coordinate the functions of state government, to better utilize available resources, and to enforce existing laws; (2) to determine whether existing law in this field is adequate or…

The workshop concentrated on Hawaii, the first State to establish an ombudsman office. This paper discusses the selection of ombudsmen, the relationship of the Hawaiian Ombudsman Office to other agencies of appeal available to the people of Hawaii, the steps to be taken in setting up an office, and relationships with complementary grievance…

The implications of the "Serrano-type" court cases are slowly making an impact on State school finance structures. Nearly every State has just completed or is undertaking a study of public school finance problems. Although the impetus for change is coming from the courts, the real work is being accomplished by the governors, legislators, and staff…

This paper outlines the historical background leading to the California Serrano vs Priest decision, discusses the implications of that decision, and suggests what might be done to fashion the elements of a State aid formula to meet the tests of equity and fairness demanded by Serrano. The author presents the various equalizing formulas and…

This study of evaluation utilization identified organizational, political, and practical arrangements facilitating the wide use of "The Interim Report Evaluation" in policymaking for California's Early Childhood Education Program. In a program fraught by tensions, where evaluations had been political tools, this evaluation was special.…

The public school funding lawsuits that have been filed over the last two decades indicate that many people are not satisfied with the existing levels of school funding. After several years of trying to bring about changes through different avenues, a group called Tennessee Small School Systems filed suit in 1988 to have the system of financing…

The Massachusetts Education Reform Act was passed in June 1993. In fall 1993, the Massachusetts Board of Education approved the Department of Education's Implementation Plan for Education Reform and appointed a board task force to oversee the implementation process. This document presents the state's first annual implementation report card for…

This report of the Select Committee on California Children's School Readiness and Health, established in 2001, examines the relationship between the status of a child's health and its impact on school readiness and achievement. The report is intended to promote and facilitate continued dialogue, exploration, and research on student health and…

Results are presented of a national survey of state policies regarding identification of gifted students from special populations (culturally diverse families, economic disadvantagement, or gifted students with disabilities). Also considered is a followup study on the implementation of state policies in Ohio, Arkansas, and Texas. Future policy…

Effects of Ohio's mandatory seat belt law on seat belt use, number of car accidents, and number of fatal and severe injuries were evaluated for January 1982 through March 1988. The monthly average number of accident victims was 2,002. Implications for public policy formulation and implementation are discussed. (SLD)

Reviews information technology projects currently underway in Alaska, including: activities of the Telecommunications Information Council; Alaska Public Utilities Commission and the future of telecommunications policy; AT&T (American Telephone and Telegraph) projects; legislative initiatives; access for Native Americans and rural Alaskans;…

To complement the information gathered on middle school and high school literacy initiatives as reported in "Middle and High School Literacy across the Curriculum" (Task 1.2 Fast Response Project), the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast (REL-SE) staff conducted a scan of the six southeast states to gather the following information…

The reason that the school dropout crisis is now referred to as a "silent epidemic" is because, when we weren't paying attention, the graduation rate in our country slipped to a level that threatens the very health and well-being of our society. Each year, almost one-third of all public high school students--and nearly one-half of all…