The Illinois Governor's Task Force on Universal Access to Preschool is part of a broad-based effort to increase the quality of life for all children in Illinois. This report presents the action plan developed by this task force and calls for the creation of Illinois Preschool, a program giving all Illinois families quality preschool options for 3-…

After-school program participation is associated with higher grades and test scores, especially for low-income students. Programs come in three types: school-age childcare, youth development, and educational after-school programs. Few programs meet students' needs, due to inadequate funding, poorly trained leadership, transient staff,…

Nine articles discuss the relationship between the higher education community and the public. The articles are: (1) "On a Certain Blindness in Teaching" by Michael S. Roth, who stresses the necessity of political citizenship education for a healthy democracy; (2) "Monocultural Perspectives and Campus Diversity" by Jane Fried,…

This report compares two studies, one conducted in 1993 and the other in 1996, that examined public attitudes toward higher education in California. Grouping the findings as enduring values, changing concerns, and "dealing with the next tidal wave," the report concludes that Californians: believe education is essential for a decent job…

This guide is intended to provide the researcher with a systematic approach to the grant application process and assists the researcher in developing a competitive and successful application. The major elements of the application process are addressed in seven sections. Part 1 presents the main choices which must be made at the beginning of the…

This report highlights recent legislation in Minnesota and California concerning charter schools, schools designed and run by teachers under contract with a public sponsor, and provides a brief overview of the issues involved in the establishment of charter schools as a strategy for improving public schools. In Minnesota, charter school…

This guide is intended to provide guidance to state and local leaders in identifying the need for finance reform; understanding and evaluating the pros and cons of alternative financial approaches; and designing strategies to build long-lasting public support. Chapter 1 reviews the key forces pushing for reform and outlines principles to guide…

The dissatisfaction theory of American democracy (Ianneccone and Lutz, 1970, 1978) purports that citizens do not become politically active until a high level of dissatisfaction is present and that superintendent turnover is the end result of a process in which the school board becomes increasingly unresponsive to its community, dissatisfaction…

A study of public awareness of issues in bilingual education was conducted using a random sample of 336 college educated and college-bound adults from 23 states and the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Alaska, continental United States, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Alaska, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Subjects were mailed a 32-item…

By surveying the viewpoints of parents receiving public assistance and practitioners who provide publicly supported child care, this study explored some of the values which underly child care policy and some of the practical problems in delivering child care services. A mailed questionnaire was sent to 1,200 parents (of whom 800 were receiving…

Thirteen objectives of the program and analyses of each in terms of procedure, evaluation, the status of procedure, and status of the evaluation are listed in this report. The objectives are: the establishment of a community relations program to promote two-way communication between school board, administration, teachers, students, and parents;…

The role of a state education agency (SEA) in the development of a program for international community education is analyzed. The task of this paper is perceived to be linking the human condition internationally with the concept of community education. Community education, as presented here, engages the public in determining the role that schools…

This memorandum derives estimates of the private rate of return to schooling for men and women based on a 1965 labor force survey, past cross-sectional data, and the long-term educational public policy of Bogota, Colombia. Here resources may be viewed as an investment in the future productive capacity of people. Depending on the costs and benefits…

This catalog provides information on innovative financing strategies, primarily state and community strategies, being used successfully to fund child care in the United States. Five sections of the manual are devoted to profiles of programs using the following categories of strategies: (1) generating new public revenue for child care, including…

Defends the original script, historical interpretation, and inception of "The Last Act" (the Enola Gay Exhibit). Articulates the purpose of the exhibit as a thought-provoking examination, rather than historical revisionism. Maintains that critics failed to consider the exhibit as a whole. Includes a two-page chronology of the…