As the 21st century approaches, the question about what the appropriate means and ends in education should be has become embedded within a larger societal concern for fostering greater equity and excellence. This paper raises a set of historical and contemporary issues related to understanding educational reform and school improvement within the…

This report presents five goals and 14 objectives which will begin the process of accomplishing the legislative intent of the Arizona Environmental Education Act (HB 2675) of June 6, 1990 to integrate environmental education throughout the educational system and public education programs in Arizona. To accomplish the objectives, the report…

Outcomes of educational programs for at-risk youth in Arizona are described in this report for the fiscal year 1990-91. Based on 3 years of experience and data from 55 districts and schools with at-risk programs, the report determines the impact of various strategies, presents holistic and discrete intervention models, and discusses policy issues…

Findings of a study that examined parental reactions to the implementation of Minnesota's statewide open-enrollment program are presented in this paper. Data were derived from telephone interviews conducted with 162 parents at the end of the 1989-90 school year. A three-way multivariate research design with eight dependent variables was used to…

This bulletin describes types of prepayment and savings plans for financing college education, outlines advantages and disadvantages of these programs, and highlights issues that state and institutional planners and policymakers should consider. A description of existing tuition prepayment plans looks at state plans that typically permit investors…

This publication supports revision of the certification and standards for Missouri Adult Vocational Education Supervisors (AVESs). Section I discusses the need for revising the current State Board of Education approved certification requirements. Section II sets forth the relationship between proposed revisions and their application by…

The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation has commissioned studies of state academic standards in five core subjects. This is the third of these studies, concentrating on geography, the core subject that has been the most neglected in the U.S. academic curriculum. Standards documents were solicited from all the states, and were submitted by 38 states and…

Kentucky's systemic reform initiative has been heralded as one of the more comprehensive and well-sustained reforms in recent history. To evaluate the course of this reform, the challenges associated with researching and evaluating a statewide systemic reform effort are detailed here. By using a description of the politics of evaluating systemic…

This guide summarizes information and procedures from recent research on staff development and provides examples of staff development practices in Georgia school systems. Section 1 describes a new vision for staff development, with a focus on student development as a strategy for organizational change. Section 2 looks at the expanding role of the…

Parent enabling policies that have been initiated in five states are described in this report. In addition to the strong link between parental involvement and improvements in their children's educational performance, further evidence suggests that differences in child-rearing styles also affect child development and academic achievement. Policy…

A project to implement the Illinois Plan for Industrial Technology Education produced four major accomplishments: (1) 13 workshops were held on Communication Technology and Energy Utilization Technology; (2) workshop activity packets were produced in both subject areas; (3) a "Futuring Committee" was established that outlined a 10-year…

This document was developed in response to California Senate Bill No. 885, "The Endangered Species Education Project," that called for a statewide program in which schools adopt a local endangered species, research past and current efforts to preserve the species' habitat, develop and implement an action plan to educate the community…

This report documents results of a survey of the 52 members (the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico) of the National Association of State Scholarship and Grant Programs (NASSGP) which collected data concerning state-funded programs of scholarship or grant assistance for postsecondary students. Text sections present a summary and…

This state plan documenting Utah's intentions to implement Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in fiscal years 1993-95 begins with various submission statements and certifications. It then presents the following policies, procedures, and descriptions: right to education policy statement, full educational opportunities goal,…

This paper assesses the potential impact on the New York State economy, industries, and regions of the recently implemented Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Canadian trade and investment have had significant impacts on the economies of the United States and New York state. An analysis of the potential impact of the FTA on New York state,…