Describes methods used by Missouri's Industrial Technology Educational programs to develop an outcomes measuring instrument for accountability purposes. (Author)

Discusses the adoption laws and procedures of Lagos State, Nigeria, and presents a demographic profile of the 236 adoptions that have taken place since the enactment of the current law in 1972. Because of the dearth of information on adoption in Nigeria, it is suggested that research on adoption should be pursued with the utmost vigor. (MDM)

This study examined child, parent, and case characteristics over 4 years in 200 cases of serious child maltreatment in Boston, Massachusetts. Comparison with 1985-1986 cases (before relevant state legislative changes) found children permanently removed from parental custody in the 1994 sample required only slightly less time to achieve permanent…

To compensate for an unhealthy food environment, foods high in calories, fat, or sugar could be subjected to special taxes, with costs of healthful foods subsidized. This paper reviews state tax laws, identifying 19 states and cities that levy such taxes. These taxes raise about $1 billion annually. The paper proposes using such revenues to fund…

Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of providing tenure in local school districts. Cites the case of the Patchogue-Medford School Board on Long Island, New York, which started denying tenure to qualified teachers because of one tenured teacher who is making a mockery of his position. (JOW)

In the first quarter of the 2004 legislative sessions, some states continued to amend existing laws to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, while others began to move beyond compliance to improve the means by which they intend to leverage greater student achievement. Still others addressed health issues, fiscal officers,…

A number of states passed legislation in the 1990s requiring youths to wear helmets when riding bicycles. The effect of this legislation on bicycling fatalities is examined by subjecting data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System to a panel analysis, using a control-group methodology. A helmet law reduces fatalities by about 15 percent in…

During the Constitutional Convention of 1890, one delegate characterized the history of county formation in Kentucky as a process whereby "fifteen or thirty or forty people" created "outrageous special legislation" to make laws that "were not for the benefit of the people at large, but only for the benefit of people who…

It sounds like a simple solution to a growing problem: Address teacher shortages by adopting policies that encourage veterans to stay in the classroom while attracting retirees back to the job. While many states and districts are doing just that, they are also finding that their policies can have unintended consequences--such as raising questions…

Information regarding enactment of drawing education legislation in the United States during the 19th century centers almost exclusively on events that occurred in Massachusetts, primarily the Massachusetts Drawing Act of 1870. Legislative history regarding the ratification of drawing education laws in states surrounding Massachusetts is available…

This article applies theoretical and empirical insights on diffusion to a contemporary, important, and striking case in point: the groundswell of state legislation on and implementation of charter schools over the past decade. Drawing from several data sources and using event-history analyses, competing risks, and random-effects negative binomial…

Presents two case studies that describe attempts by legislators in Arkansas and Michigan to restrict the teaching of evolution and the responses of science educators. Demonstrates that the same discredited arguments that have been used elsewhere continue to recur and that those interested in promoting quality science education can respond with…

The 1997 Nebraska Legislature enacted Bill 806 to promote school consolidation, which legislators believed would lead schools to become more cost-efficient and provide a significantly larger curriculum. This legislative action begged the question: Has the move to consolidate schools made Nebraska schools more efficient while providing greater…

The Biennial Report presents a summary of programs and services provided by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction for 2007-2009. The State Superintendent notes that while North Dakota's education system is good, slippage in test scores is occurring, cracks in the education system are developing and some students are falling through…

This report of the Rural School and Community Trust and the Ben Lujan Leadership and Public Policy Institute presents findings from an investigation of the impact of the funding formula proposal commissioned by the New Mexico Funding Formula Task Force (FFTF) and developed by American Institutes of Research (AIR). Appointed by the New Mexico…