A study explored the issue of fiscal agency and its relationship to planning and implementing school-to-work (STW) systems to inform stakeholders in Arizona's emerging STW system about other states' experiences. A review of the STW Internet Gateway yielded a subset of states based on factors such as their history in implementing STW and…

This report summarizes a study that analyzed the state education accountability reports of 48 states and Washington, DC, and the inclusion of students with disabilities in the accountability systems. Extreme variability was found to exist in the reporting practices across states and there was little information on students with disabilities. Only…

This guide is designed to provide basic guidelines and points of reference for participation in discussions on policies and practices related to the inclusion of students with disabilities in large-scale assessment programs. The results of a survey of statewide assessment programs are discussed, including findings that very few states currently…

Because many parents who are eligible for child care subsidies do not use them, many state and local leaders are trying to determine why families are not more eager to participate and how their agencies can become more accommodating. This policy brief, drawn from data obtained through the Growing Up in Poverty Project and interviews with county…

Welfare caseloads across the nation have declined dramatically since welfare reform became law in August 1996. These declines have been interpreted to mean that welfare-to-work strategies are effective, but not enough is known to make such an assessment. In the rural South, unique social and economic conditions may affect the implementation and…

The updated technology plan for the state of Texas makes requests of the Texas Legislature; states actions to be taken by the Texas Education Agency; and makes recommendations to other entities including other state agencies, regional education service centers, local school districts, institutions of higher education, communities and the private…

This report provides an overview of selected state initiatives related to the training and supervision of paraeducators serving students with disabilities. The five states highlighted in the document were selected because of the significant work each has done in the area of paraeducators. In all five states, paraeducator initiatives began prior to…

In this report, the extent and nature of education freedom is estimated for each state, using a new Education Freedom Index (EFI). This analysis shows the remarkable differences in education freedom among the states and attempts to make educational freedom a concept that becomes the subject of policy debate. The EFI is composed of measures of five…

Since the development of the Educational Technology Plan PK-12 in 1996, the state of Wisconsin has made great strides to ensure that the technologies necessary for fostering student growth and achievement are available to urban, suburban, and rural children alike. This addendum, intended to supplement the 1996 plan, will provide Wisconsin's school…

This brochure describes PreK-12 technology education in Wisconsin. The first section briefly summarizes Wisconsin's state content standards in the areas of nature of technology, systems, human ingenuity, and impact of technology. The second section covers technology education program scope and sequences for grades PreK-4 (early technology…

The Florida State Legislature and the Department of Education have generally addressed the 1997 recommendations of the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) for improving student performance in high-poverty schools. Recent legislation and department actions have established a stronger foundation for ensuring that…

In 1998, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation reviewed state academic standards in English language arts/reading, history, geography, mathematics, and science--the five essential subjects identified at the 1998 "education summit." Because many states have changed their standards in the past 2 years, the Foundation has evaluated them again. The news is…

The New York City Board of Education has implemented a school quality review system called Performance Assessment in Schools Systemwide: Essential Elements of Exemplary Schools (PASS). The PASS process provides a set of standards of exemplary educational practice and a model for assessing schools in relation to these standards. The process is…

This report describes the 1999 legislation affecting Oregon's K-12 school finance system. The first section summarizes state appropriations and local revenue estimates for 1999-01. The second section describes modifications to the allocation of the State School Fund among school districts and Education Service Districts. The last section reports…

This collection of approximately 200 documents gathered during 1984-95 consists of materials used in the administration of state documents depository programs, including: (1) bibliographies; (2) commentaries and letters; (3) depository contracts; (4) forms and form letters; (5) labels; (6) legislation and legal materials; (7) mailing lists; (8)…