Rising remediation rates among college students are leading to increased time for completion of degree, additional costs for students and colleges, and financial aid being used on courses that do not count towards a degree. In response to these issues, in 2007 the state of Illinois passed the College and Career Readiness Act, Public Act 095-0694,…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

A new analysis of student discipline in New Hampshire schools in the 2007-2008 school year shows that out-of-school suspension rates are higher and statewide expulsion rates are lower than the national average. Schools reporting the highest rates of suspensions and expulsions are the smallest in the state and have the highest percentage of…

California currently faces an opportunity to develop an effective data system that can assist in improving the state's future understanding of the educational progress of English learners (ELs). This policy brief outlines the needs for good data on ELs and makes recommendations for creating an effective longitudinal data system for ELs. It…

"No Child Left Behind" (NCLB, 2001) fails to recognize English as a second language (ESL) as a specialized academic discipline in which teachers should be "highly qualified." In this paper we examine the impact of this policy failure on the practice of teachers of K-12 English language learners (ELLs), particularly in the…

This "Report Card to the Public" is published in accordance with Alaska Statute 14.03.120 for the school year 2012-2013. Under state law, each school district is required to report information about its plans and performance to its community. This report includes a statewide summary of performance results. Public knowledge of the school…

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) follows education budgets and legislation during regular and special legislative sessions. The Legislative Reports follow education and budget issues from governors' proposals through final legislative actions in each of the 16 SREB states. The reports include bill numbers and legislative Web site…

In this testimony before the House Committee on Homeland Security, the Director of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) discusses the status of school districts' planning and preparedness for emergencies. According to the testimony, federal and state governments support emergency management in school districts with a range of resources…

Advocates of educational accountability policies say that the policies are intended to use the state's authority to ensure equal educational opportunity. Opponents make essentially the opposite claim: that expanded state power is intended to disempower local communities and to single them out for blame, in response to larger political and economic…

At the outset of the charter school movement, some opponents feared that charter schools would become havens for White students wishing to flee the traditional public school system, resulting in publicly funded segregation. However, studies suggest that this has not occurred. In fact, charter schools on average remain slightly racially segregated,…

Compromise in any context is often hard to accept. It feels like a person is giving up on his or her ideals. This is especially true in dealing with politics. Legislative and congressional bills can be written with the highest of ideals in mind. By the time the bill progresses through committees and the floor debate process, it can look like a…

Among the various public and private interest groups who concern themselves with policy-making in California's Capitol, education has long been envied for having a special place in the constitution that establishes its importance among all issues. Several provisions of the state constitution relate to the priority of public education, and yet…

Vaccines are one of the triumphs of modern medicine, relegating many once-fearsome diseases to the history books. Denying access to school has long been the best way to ensure that children get vaccinated, but carrying out any change in immunization policy means a lot of work for school officials. This article discusses the unity of several…

Background: Texas does not require health education or tobacco use prevention education (TUPE) in its middle schools. During planning for the Texas Tobacco Prevention Initiative, this baseline research was conducted to (1) describe tobacco prevention and control practices in middle schools prior to the pilot, (2) analyze implementation of a state…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…