Nebraska's Educational Service Units (ESUs) are under threat of de-funding, consolidation, and even elimination. For too long, the ESUs have been an invisible asset to school districts, providing equity to our rural schools, and expertise to our more urban schools. ESUs work from the expectation of efficiency and effectiveness, to be good stewards…

This report provides six mini-case studies of higher education policy reforms enacted in other states, exploring the important role that state policy leadership played in developing, promoting, and implementing these policies aimed at improving higher education outcomes, and discussing the relevance of each reform effort for California. This…

This paper outlines an investigation aimed at illuminating the rationales that states and state policy makers have used to support their early childhood education policy initiatives during the 1971-73 legislative sessions. An in-depth comparative case study approach is used in five selected states with regard to kindergarten legislation or…

This guide to policy concerning parent involvement in Kentucky's Chapter 1 programs was prepared in an effort to help local districts develop a policy that complies with state legislation. While the parameters of Kentucky's P.L. 100-297 are clear, the procedures for preparing a parent participation policy are complicated. The guide includes an…

The Research in Teacher Education (RITE) study is currently examining in depth two selected state-mandated induction programs for beginning teachers. The sample includes 16 first year teachers (along with the teachers, administrators, and other educators selected to work with them) situated in 13 schools in 4 districts in 2 states. Data were…

The paper explores policy options for beginning, expanding, or establishing services for disabled and at-risk infants and toddlers in a state. An initial section outlines characteristic advantages and drawbacks of options in three areas: legislative action (mandatory, phase-in, and non-mandatory legislation), executive action, and interagency…

The purpose of this case study is to describe and interpret the process through which State-level policy decisions are made for the public schools of Tennessee. The report begins with a brief treatment of the socioeconomic environment and the political culture within which education takes place. State governmental arrangements for public school…

Examines the extent to which state mandates, including legislation, policies, rules, and practices, establish the context within which many student tracking systems are initiated, designed, and implemented. Reviews trends and considers the diversity among state approaches. (DMM)

The book is intended to help policymakers understand issues involved in gifted and talented education. Initial chapters review the state of the art in state and federal policies toward education of gifted and talented students and outline steps in decisionmaking regarding policy development (determining the framework, making basic decisions,…

The Minnesota Business Partnership (MBP) was studied as a policy innovator in state school reform (for kindergarten through grade 12) in relation to agenda setting, alternative formulation, and authoritative enactment. Focus is on the MBP's policy-making involvement during the 1985 state legislative session. Overall, the MBP's influence was…

Events leading to the passage in 1984 of Arizona's bilingual education law are examined using interviews with policy elite and concepts developed by D. E. Mitchell and others (1985) for studying distinctive cultures of state educational policymaking. Passage of a mandatory or more comprehensive law was not likely. (SLD)

This position paper argues that public and private policies in Minnesota are not responsive to the large scale entry of women into the labor force and proposes a series of basic long-range strategies and specific child day care policies aimed at allieviating the hardships and inequities existing for working women and their families. It is…

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…

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…

Applying item response theory, and the Rasch model in particular, to measure trends and examine policy coherence in state education reform shows a change in the picture of state leadership and a generalized pattern of policy making among the states. Using item response theory in policy analysis is explored. (SLD)