In September 1991, the National Conference of State Legislatures surveyed the legislatures in 44 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia to identify priority issues for the 1992 session. The survey covered almost 1,000 issues in 18 topic areas. This report of the survey results includes sections on each of the following topic areas: (1)…

This paper examines legislation, court decisions, and state and local policies affecting the use of corporal punishment in schools, and speculates on the particular context presented by small or rural schools. There are no universally applicable federal statutes dealing with corporal punishment in schools. Decisions by the Supreme Court and…

Through a synthesis of ongoing case studies covering over 500 schools, this report highlights the story of school reform in the Chicago Public Schools (Illinois) at the elementary school level. The analysis draws on a case-study syntheses of field research over the past 3 years, new analyses of survey data from principals and teachers, and…

This paper, first in a series of special reports concerning disability and the family, presents a review of the relationship between abuse and disabilities, arguing that roughly 25 percent of all disabilities are caused by child or spousal abuse. A national survey revealed that 12 states have legislation addressing these issues, and the paper…

State legislation that has contributed to the reduction of Arkansas' tax base is described in this paper. Amendment 59, adopted in 1980, has reduced the state tax base by millions of dollars. At the end of 1992, the majority of school districts have equalized their real, personal, and carrier and utility property. Act 34, the current foundation…

This paper presents findings of a case study that examined the influences that shaped an Ohio governor's education reform proposals from a vantage point inside the governor's office, during the late 1980s. Data were obtained through document analysis (of the period from fall 1987 to January 1989), interviews with the governor, and a literature…

This book introduces the basic elements necessary to comply with specific state reporting statutes on child abuse. It analyzes the reporting statutes of all 50 states (including the District of Columbia) and outlines those requirements imposed on mandatory reporters employed in public schools and in other professions. Federal court cases are also…

In 1986 the Kentucky General Assembly passed legislation directing the Legislative Research Commission to appoint a special subcommittee, the Special Subcommittee on Essential Skills Testing, to study the Kentucky Essential Skills Testing Program (KEST) and to make recommendations concerning the program. This report presents the findings and…

This manual is designed to assist members of Michigan Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams to be in compliance with state and federal laws relating to programs and services for students with disabilities. It begins by briefly explaining changes in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act relating to the IEP and parent participation.…

This document presents some helpful examples of existing school policies and state laws that may spark action to help communities deal with homophobia and harassment of homosexual students. Most school districts have nondiscrimination policies of one sort or another, but these policies may not cover discrimination based on sexual harassment.…

The National Center for Children in Poverty(NCCP)has developed a series of issue briefs on the effects of welfare reform on children living in poverty. This issue brief is based in part on "Map and Track: State Initiatives to Promote Responsible Fatherhood," a report supported by The Annie E. Casey Foundation and prepared by NCCP in…

North Carolina has been active in its legislative support of site-based management since 1989. A study of the impact of such legislation and how participatory management at the school level has influenced the state's education system is presented. The report is based on data collected for the Task Force on Site-Based Management, which was created…

This report details a survey of state child care regulatory agencies. Data on both small family child care homes (FCCH) and group or large family child care homes (LCCH or GCCH) are included and organized into 22 categories: (1) number of regulated homes; (2) definitions and regulatory requirements; (3) unannounced inspection procedure; (4)…

The Cherry Creek School district (Englewood, Colorado) is a growing district of 37,000 students in the Denver area. The 1988 Colorado State School Finance Act required district-set proficiencies (standards), and forced agreement on a set of values for student knowledge and skills. State-adopted standards added additional requirements for the…

This document describes state and local elementary and secondary education standards developed for academic achievement and assessment of student progress in Missouri. In response to the Outstanding Schools Act of 1993, the Show-Me Standards were established to represent knowledge students should acquire and how they should be able to communicate…